The Pursuit
by Stone Moss
Summary: "This is just a never-ending pursuit. They capture us and we escape, then it happens all over again. We have to win this. It's either us or them." Action/Adventure/Drama/Romance
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: Since this is a serious story, I'm not going to pansy around:**

**I do not own the 39 clues or any of the characters. And you know that. **

**AMY POV**

I was having so much fun. If you call getting chased by ruthless competition fun, then I was having a blast! My long auburn hair whipped behind me as I ran with Dan beside me.

"Turn right!" He shouted over the wind and we both turned a sharp right. I could still hear the frantic footsteps of our cousins in pursuit. The Kabras: Isabel, Natalie, and Ian. They were the only ones that figured out that we were hiding the clue under the noses the whole time. Dan and I just acted like we hadn't found it yet. We hadn't realized it was the clue until Dan actually looked at what he was holding, a bone. A human bone to be exact. So basically the Kabras were the only ones that noticed when we snuck out of the graveyard.

"We have to split up!" I realized.

"Are you nuts? Then they will just split up too and corner us!" Dan said keeping his eyes where we were running.

"Better than three against two!" I retorted.

"Left!" He cried and we turned. Dan had memorized the way back to the hotel. We were using small allies instead of main roads.

"I still don't think it's a good idea!" He shouted.

"Please, it's our only chance!" I begged.

"How are you so sure?"

"I don't know! It's just a feeling!"

"Great, were going to win the hunt with the power of feelings!" He said sarcastically.

"I'm serious Dan!" He thought about for a second and realization passed over his face.

"You're right. Here I'll give you the clue but act like you gave it to me. I'll stuff some rocks into my pockets to make it look like I have something in there. Left!" He said and turned sharply. He started to take the bone out of his pocket but I put a hand on his wrist to stop him.

"No, keep the clue. I'm sure Isabel or Ian or both will come after me, so you need to take it." He nodded stiffly and I stopped to catch my breath and to put rocks in my pocket. He started to sprint again and I followed. I heard the faint footsteps of our competitors growing louder. We reached a fork in the street allies and Dan turned to me.

"Please don't get hurt." He said sadness easily detected in his voice. _What had the clue hunt done to the poor kid? _I thought remembering the rambunctious little kid that annoyed me so much. Now we were worrying about if we would ever see each other again.

"You shouldn't worry about me, dweeb! Just be careful." I said smiling sadly. He returned the smile.

"Ok, dork. Meet me in the hotel later, ok?" He asked, wanting to grasp onto a little bit of hope.

"I promise." I said, trying to sound confident. He took a step forward and hugged me quickly. I gaped at him. The only time he hugged me was when…when…I can't even remember! He withdrew from the hug but I pulled him back in.

"Please be careful, I can't lose you." He whispered. This was so unlike him. I started to tear up, but nodded my head.

"I will be, and don't worry; I will be at the hotel in a little bit. I can hear the Kabras, we should leave now." Usually, he was the one that was telling me not to worry, not the other way around. Dan started to jog away and gave me a sad look over his shoulder. I returned his look with a small smile and started to jog away myself. _Please let this be a good idea…please. _I prayed and broke into a sprint.

**Author's Note: Now that wasn't too bad was it? This will definitely be a multi chap so don't get all worried. Comment and tell me how I did.**

**~Luvlessgrl**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two

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><p><strong>AMY POV<strong>

I was sprinting down a street alley looking out for black hair and amber eyes. I pressed my back against the wall, listening for anything that would give them away. When I heard nothing, I bent down to catch my breath. Just then I heard a scuffing of feet and I managed to catch bits of what they were saying.

"I think she went this way!" I easily recognized the voice as Ian's.

"You foolish boy! A Kabra knows not guesses!" The cold voice sent shivers down my spine. This voice belonged to the woman that killed my parents and tried to kill Dan and I. When I was little, I always thought that Isabel was such a pretty name. I talked to my mom about it once. I told her how I thought how cute it was and how I wanted to name my child that. The look on my mom's face changed my mind, nut not as much as her words did.

"Never name your child that." She had said and left the room. I was confused then, but now I know. I know way to well too. I returned back to Earth to realize that the voices had gotten louder.

"I have got a plan that will confuse the darling Cahill girl." Isabel said. I could basically hear the smirk in her voice.

"Amy, her name is Amy." Ian said and I would've gasped if it wouldn't have cost my life. _He stood up for me? No, no he didn't .Maybe this is all part of the plan._ I thought.

"Oh Ian, trust me you'll get to see your little girlfriend soon." Isabel laughed maliciously.

"Mum!" He whined.

"Don't call me that! It makes me sound old!" Isabel snapped.

"Very well, now what is the plan?" Ian asked.

"I can't announce to the world, now can I?" Isabel said.

"No mother."

"Good now the plan is to…" She lowered her voice to a whisper that I couldn't hear. The shuffling of feet was my cue. I dashed down the alley only to run into a small abandoned coffee shop. I looked around there was no other way except back to where I was. I made up my mind and I ran into the old shop. It smelled of old coffee beans and oil. I hid back behind the counter where they couldn't see me. I waited until I heard the small tinkling of a bell latched onto the door. My breathing and heart rate quickened, just waiting for Isabel and her minions to find me. I would be in her hands once again.

"Who are you waiting for?" I jumped, startled. Right next to me was Ian, grinning. I was so deep in my thoughts I hadn't even noticed him. I stood up and backed away from him slowly.

"Where's your mother?" I asked, looking around.

"Oh she went after Daniel." He saw my shocked expression and continued. "Well, we figured you guys would split up leaving the clue in the hands of one of you. We also concluded that you would probably think that Mum would be after you, so you would give the clue to Daniel. So we sent Mum and Natalie to search for Daniel. That way, it would be two against one on the clue." He finished, advancing on me. _How did they figure out our whole plan? _

"Get away from me." I hissed.

"No can do love, I need to follow orders." Suddenly, it hit me. Dan was all alone with Isabel and Natalie! He had less training then I did and he had to carry around the bone. It had a poem from Socrates on it and we just haven't had time to decrypt it yet. Sadness swallowed me. I crouched on the ground, not able to think of anything but Dan, all alone with two she-devils. Before I knew it, tears were running down my face. I looked up at Ian expecting to see him smirking or worse laughing, but his face was clouded with worry. He looked like he was paralyzed or he just didn't know what to do. _I bet Dan doesn't know what to do. _This caused more tears to fall freely from my eyes. Ian snapped out of his trance and sat down beside me. I could tell he felt awkward. He probably wasn't around tears much. I wipe my eyes and I held out to my wrists.

"You can take me away now." I said feeling depressed now. _They probably have Dan and already figured out the clue and they're going to torture him for any extra information and…and it was my fault. _I started to cry again. "It's all my fault…all mine." I whispered my head in my hands. Ian pulled me to his chest and wrapped his arms around me. I didn't notice until he started to whisper to me.

"Don't cry Love, please. Everything's going to be fine. Just listen to me for once." I sobbed harder into his chest. When I finally got control of myself, I looked up at him.

"Why?" I asked, pulling away from him..

"What?"

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

"Because I hate to see you like this." He answered, pulling me closer to him. I eventually realized the position we were in and I tried to get away, but he had a strong grip on me.

"Listen, if you're going to take me captive already. It will save me a lot of pain later." I said.

"No." He replied firmly.

"What?"

"I'm not going to take you captive anymore. I'm sick of tricking you. Please just go, I will just tell my mother that I lost you. Trust me for once, this isn't a trick." His eyes were pleading. I looked at him in awe but I wasn't going to waste my chance of getting away from Isabel. I took one step towards the door but he grabbed me around my waist.

"Wha-" He pressed his lips against mine. Before I could respond, he drew back.

"Go, before it's too late." He said. His eyes betrayed his words. I was about to say something when I heard a faint tinkle of a bell.

"Oh how sweet. My son betrayed me for love. Tsk tsk, you should have learned by now."

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><p><strong>Author's Note: I know, I know. Oh and by the way, Amy hasn't forgiven him…yet. Ian just did that on his feelings. Anyways…Yay! Chapter 2 complete! Ok down to business…since I already did like a not-so-serious story I thought hmmm… it's time to lay on the serious sauce! Anyway hope you enjoyed!<strong>

**~Luvlessgrl**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Ian looked at Isabel and back at me. His arms were still around my waist, but now wasn't the time to speak up.

"Ian, Ian, Ian…I was hoping for a wealthy, beautiful, smart girl that you would fancy. But it's not that I can do anything about it, it's not like I control your life." She grinned wickedly. With the dim lights of the coffee shops, her eyes seemed to glow. I could tell she was trying to catch me off guard. Ian hadn't come to that conclusion yet. Fury replaced his usually cocky amber eyes.

"You have no right to talk to a human being like that." Ian said firmly, stepping in front of me defensively.

"Oh no! Are the police chasing me right now?" She said taking a step towards Ian and whispered as if it was a secret. "Because no one is here to stop me. Now bring the girl to me." Ian didn't move. Isabel's eyes flashed with annoyance. "I will not ask you again, bring the girl to me." Ian still didn't budge. "Very well, I guess both of you will suffer the consequences. The shame of watching my own son being punished." It was almost as if she was joking, which disgusted me.

"You cannot treat you son like that! It's…its abuse!" I said, anger seeping through my calm façade. As if to prove her point she pulled her dart gun and pointed at Ian.

"Last chance." She warned, inching closer. I looked at Ian desperately. I wish he could read my eyes like Dan because they were screaming _do something!_ Surprisingly, he got the message.

"Mu- er Mother." He examined her clothes. "You seem to have some dandruff on your dress." She looked down at her dress, about to brush away the filth but Ian kicked the dart gun out of her hands. She looked surprised, but then put her classic evil grin back on.

"Ian, you know better." She criticized, clucking her tongue. "Lucians always carry more than one weapon." She said pulling out a dagger. Ian's eyes widened.

"Bring the girl to me now!" She shrieked, anger engulfing her. "Or she dies right now." Lucian agents poured into the small shop. Ian looked around, for a chance of escape. There was none.

"I will do all I can." He whispered in my ear.

"I'll help." I said stubbornly.

"No, I don't want you involved."

"So, if you fight, that leaves me all alone. There's two of us and ten of them, _counting _Isabel. It's hopeless." I said. This felt like how exactly I felt when I left Dan. Outnumbered with little hope.

"Ok, but it's not totally hopeless. I have my dart gun." He was just like Dan, clinging on to the slightest bit of hope.

"Ok, ready 1…2…3 now!" I lunged for the closest agent. He was caught off guard and toppled backwards by the impact. It didn't take long for the others to jump into action. I felt a sharp blow in my thigh and the small trickle of blood down my face. The agent had hit me with the butt of his gun. _They aren't trying to kill us, just hurting us until we are in the verge of death. _I caught a glimpse of Isabel; she was smirking and a couple feet away from the battle, doing nothing. The sight caused me to reload with a new fury. I hit the agent's wrist causing him to drop the gun. I picked it up and knocked him in the head with it. He fell unconscious on the floor.

I saw that Ian had taken out two of them. We were only down to seven. A Lucian hit a pressure point in my leg and I crumpled to the ground. He kicked me aside. Black spots clouded my vision. I could another one standing over me. A hard blow to my head sent more black spots and drew more blood. I was slowly slipping out of conscious. I saw Ian get hit with a gun and he crashed to the ground, not moving. I wanted to yell or scream but I couldn't find my voice because the darkness had already consumed me.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I am not good at action scenes! Other than that I hoped you liked it! It was kind of short, wasn't it? **

**~Luvlessgrl**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

AMY POV

Pain. Pain was all I felt when I opened my eyes. The cold floor was refreshing against the fiery burn that spread throughout my back. As if somebody just threw me in here. I tried to raise my head to figure out where I was, but was stopped by a blinding pain. I opened my eyes and looked around but not moving this time.

The cell was small and filthy. It was made entirely of steel with bars all around. There was one tiny bed in the corner. It was covered in dust so I guessed it hasn't been used in a long time. Something crawled across my leg but I didn't even make an attempt to move. It would only cause more and more pain.

I expected Ian to be next to me or on the bed but he wasn't anywhere. _Maybe Isabel was keeping him in a different cell. _That was not the reasoning part of my brain. The realistic part was screaming _He betrayed you again! _Of course, that was probably the plan all along. _Just woo the girl, make her believe you and stall. Stall until I get back from finding the boy. _I could imagine Isabel saying this. Ian kissed me to stall and that's all. There was nothing else to it. Winning was all that mattered to him, Isabel and Natalie. Isabel especially. Just then a thought came to me and it caused me to panic.

_Dan! They've got Dan! And it's all my fault…all if it! _I sat up ignoring the raging pain in my head. Tears clouded my eyes. _No! Crying doesn't help anything! Stop it! _I wiped away my preborn tears. I have to find out if they have him and there's only one way to get one of them here. I screamed and I mean _screamed. _It must have worked because I heard the sound of hustling footsteps.

"What's wrong love?" Ian asked, looking around. He looked in perfect condition.

"Nothing, absolutely nothing." I rolled my eyes. "The only thing that could have made me upset would be…" I trailed off gazing across the room. "Hmmmm…let's see… filthy cell, no that's not it… I have blinding pain everywhere in my body; no… oh I've got it! I have not been given any pillows for my bed." Ian took a step back from the icy tone in his voice.

"I'm sorry." He said looking at the floor. I snorted.

"Yes and I completely and utterly forgive you." I said coldly. "You just love me to hurt me don't you? It's like a hobby or a daily thing. Hmmm… 4:30 break Amy's heart. 6:00 betray her again. 7:45…"

"Enough! Do you not think that I feel guilty?" He said, putting his head in his hands.

"I don't have to think. Guilty + Kabra= Oh yeah! It doesn't exist!" I turned my head, disregarding the pain.

"Amy please…"

"No no its ok you don't have to say it. You have already got Dan and torturing him right now. And even better, just for the fun of it!" Tears threatened to spill again. I heard the door of the cell creak open and strong arms wrap around my shoulders. I winced.

"Get off me now." I hissed, not meeting his eyes. They would only melt me. His arms retracted from my shoulders but he knelt down in front of me. I tried to turn my head, but he held my chin in place. I averted my eyes.

"Look at me." I did as I was told. "We don't have Daniel. He got away before Mum could get him. We don't know the clue either." I closed my eyes. Relief flooded through me. _They don't have him…Dan is free. _"I just wanted you to know." He said. The scent of clove got stronger and I opened my eyes. His face was only a few inches from mine. He leaned in closer but I turned my head. He sighed sadly and he whispered in my ear.

"Sweet Dreams, my love." I was about to ask him what he meant but my eye lids got heavier.

"Don't call….don't…me…" I got drowsier by the second, slurring my words. He chuckled and kissed my forehead. I was about to protest but yet again, the blackness swallowed me.

**Author's Note: Yes Amy is playing hard to get isn't she?**

**Ian: Yes, yes she is. I would never betray her like that!**

**Me: Who asked you?**

**Ian: You did! **

**Me: You aggravate me, you know that?**

**Ian: Good.**

**Me: For that I'm going to torture Ian next chapter.**

**Ian: What? No not my face! *runs away screaming like a girl**

**Me: *shakes head* what does any girl see in him? **

**Fan girl: He's so scrumptious! His hair is great and his eyes make me dizzy. Oh and by the way who is the Amy chick? I'm so going to like kill her!**

**Me: Who asked you? They are both aggravating so I'm ending this right now.**

**Isabel: Review now! Or you are going to have to meet my little friend!**

**Me: Where'd you get that from…? J-**

**Isabel: Silence! Do you want reviews or not? **

**Me: Whoa feisty.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5…

I opened my eyes to find a nice carpet floor underneath me. Something felt different, that I couldn't put my finger on. I stood up and stretched, taking a look around the new room. There were silk curtains, a nice sized bed, and a comfy couch. Much better than the cell…_the cell! _Memories rushed back to me…the cell and Ian's visit. Questions surged through my mind. The main one was _where am I? _But another one kept poking its head out. _Why aren't I feeling any pain? _I know Ian had shot me with something, but what could stop all that unbearable pain? Yet again, I might be delirious right now or this could be a dream. Either one of them could be a possibility.

"How was your sleep?" A sickly sweet voice said, _Isabel._ I turned around and rolled my eyes. I wasn't going to let her control me anymore. She continued to talk. "I did not intend for Ian to shoot you with the PA serum, but what could I do? Anyways do you like your new room?" She gestured around the room.

"No."

"Well that's a shame. If you prefer the cell, I would be happy to tend to your needs." She smiled. It wasn't real of course.

"I'm good, why did you transfer me to this room?" I asked, keeping my cool.

"It seems like _somebody _cares for your well being more than I expected." She kept her "smile" on her face, but there was something in her eyes that I couldn't place.

"Yea right." I faced my back towards her. "Why are you here?"

"It's rude to not look somebody in the eye when they're talking." She said.

"It's rude to murder somebody's parents." I retorted, but turned around anyway.

"Good, now I only want one thing… or many things." She added.

"I'm not telling you our clues." Obviously, that's what she wanted.

"Now why would _I _ever cheat out of something?" She asked in fake shock. I didn't answer.

"Very well, if you're not going to come willingly-" I cut her off.

"Willingly? Wow how stupid do you think I am? Apparently, very." I scoffed.

"As you wish. But do take a look out the window, it's lovely. Maybe that will change your mind." I knew it would be some sort of scheme, but curiosity over took me. I walked slowly to the window and delicately pulled away the curtains. I covered my mouth in shock. There, outside my window was Ian, in a metal cage. It hung over some sort of body of water with sharks swimming around the cage hungrily.

"Let's see clues…or he dies."She said it as if it was the easiest choice in the world. I would have to give up the clues. Yea Ian was a heartless, selfish, jerk who totally deserved the position he was in, but I couldn't let him die. It would haunt me forever. If I chose the clues over Ian, how long would it be until Dan would be in Ian's place?

"Fine, the clues it is." I sighed.

"Good, now follow me." She said, grinning like a mad person. It wasn't _like_ a mad person, she _had _officially lost it. Putting her own son's life on the line for the clues, for some contest. Isabel would do anything to get the clues. She blindfolded and led me through a maze of hallways. Finally, we stopped and she pushed me roughly through a doorway. She yanked my blindfold off and I examined the room. It was covered by surveillance screens and wires. One of the screens showed an up-close surveillance video of Ian. He looked scared but tried to hide it. I could tell he was thinking, trying to think of an escape plan.

I tore my eyes away from the screen. I could easily recognize the room as the control room, every stronghold has one. So that's where I was, the ever-feared Lucian stronghold. My eyes landed on a chair in the center of the room. It had wires wrapped around it and two metal cuffs on the arm rests. It resembled an electric chair. Isabel saw my gaze and laughed.

"Oh no, that is just a lie detector. It only makes sure you don't get away, nothing special. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Ian reach for something in his pocket. I pretended not to notice and glanced at the chair again.

"Just sit down and get comfy. This will probably take some time." She smiled. She finally got what she wanted. The 39 clues would be in her grasp by a matter of minutes. She jerked me to the chair and buckled me in. I struggled against the extra ropes she tied around me but my wrists only got chaffed from the cuffs. Isabel walked over to the control panel and started to type and press buttons. I could feel the chair hum to life and to tell you the truth, it absolutely terrified me.

"Now let's get started shall we. Oh but don't lie, because you'll have to face the consequences." I felt about a million volts of electricity race through my body. I could smell the singed tips of my hair. _Nothing special, _she had said about the chair. Apparently, special in her book didn't count shock-people-to-death. Lesson learned: don't lie.

"You may start now." I hesitated. I felt like I had let down everybody: Dan, Nellie, Mom, Dad, and Grace. _Especially Grace._ Isabel reached towards the button to shock me but I started:

"Pearl, honey, sulfur…" I paused for her to write it down. "Mace, lily, copper, water…" I paused when I something move on one of the screens. While Isabel was looking down at the paper, I snuck a glance at the screens. Ian's particularly. Wait, I couldn't see Ian anymore. I searched the screens as fast as I could. Then I noticed a small gap in the cage that held Ian. Or should I say, the cage that no longer held Ian.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Yay chapter 5…blah…blah…blah :) JK! Hope you liked it!<strong>

**~Luvlessgrl **


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

I tried to keep my breathing leveled. _She can't notice, she can't notice, _I kept telling myself over and over trying to stay calm. Anything unusual could get Isabel to shock me or worse, look up at the screens. I looked at Isabel. She was smiling to herself, writing everything down. Before she got suspicious I started again.

"S-silver, clover, zinc, lead, myrrh…" I paused, pretending to think but I secretly looked at the screens. _Where had Ian gone?_ I wondered.

Just then somebody screamed from outside. It was definitely a boy that screamed, which worried me. I looked at Isabel and flinched. Her eyes were on fire. Nobody would ruin this opportunity for her.

"What is it now?" She hissed and walked slowly to the door. While she was preoccupied, I looked at the screens again. They showed no sign of Ian anywhere. _Why do I care?_ I thought and shook my head. Isabel paused before she opened the door. She looked around the hallway and shrugged. She probably didn't see anything as a threat. Annoyance flickered across her face but then she turned around and smiled.

"Now where were we?"She asked. Suddenly, her shoulders slumped and she crumpled to the floor. I looked up and saw Ian smirking, holding a dart gun. He was leaning against the door frame.

"Nobody puts me in a cage." He stated.

"How …how did you?" I was a loss for words. He chuckled slightly, which annoyed me.

"I'll explain later. Now come with me." I didn't move. His handsome face scrunched up in confusion.

"Aren't you going to come?" He asked.

"No." I replied, turning my back on him.

"Well then, you leave me no choice." I was about to turn back around to find out what he meant but I was suddenly picked up.

"Ian! Put me down this second! Ian!" I shrieked, kicking frantically.

"I'd rather not." He snickered. I rolled my eyes but continued to kick him. What can I say? I'm a multi-tasker. I kicked him in the soft spot and he dropped me. I turned around to run but he grabbed me and pulled me to him.

"No need for violence." Ian managed to get out. He was obviously in pain… good. Much to my annoyance, he recovered quickly, grabbed my hand and started to pull me along.

"Hey!" I yelled, trying to run the other way but he was stronger than me and continued to pull me.

Then I grasped a thought. "Where all the guards?" I asked, looking around.

"I took care of them." He said mischievously. I sighed; I wasn't getting a better answer than that. We walked for awhile but we finally stepped outside. I realized he was still holding my hand. I tried to pull away but he had a firm grip. Ian just smiled and I glared at him.

"Come on. We can't have Isabel running after us can we?" I sighed again but followed him in the limo. When we got in, I sat the farthest away possible from him. I looked at him expectantly.

"I know you want answers." He started and I nodded. "But who said I was going to give them to you?" He whispered in my ear, causing me to shiver from his flawless voice. _How did he get so close? _I thought and pushed him away.

"Oh now, come on Love, play nice." He teased.

"Answer my questions!" I said, frustrated.

"Which ones? You asked me a lot." Stupid smirk.

"Let's start with how you got out of the cage?"

"Well, I keep a special poison in the heel of my shoe. Isabel, surprisingly, didn't check my shoes. She was probably too excited from catching you and wasn't cautious. Anyways, I burnt through the bars and that's all. Oh and I had to wait for exactly the right time." He finished.

"After she sent a billion volts of electricity through my body!" I fiddled with my hair and it wasn't a singed as I thought it was. Ian looked concerned.

"Did she hurt you? Wait that was a stupid question, sorry." Ian said. "What else do you want to know?"

"Why did you save me?" I asked. He immediately looked uncomfortable.

"Next question."

"Why did you save me?" I repeated.

"Because I wanted to." He said stiffly.

"OK, ok I'm sorry I asked." I put my hands in the air defensively. "Where are we going?" His classic smirk was plastered on his face.

"Not here."

"_WHERE_ are we going?" I put emphasis on where.

"Oh, you'll see." His eyes twinkled mischeviously.

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><p><strong>AN: Hmmmm where are they going? Interesting *strokes unseen beard* Ha-ha you'll find out later!**

**~Luvlessgrl **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I DO NOT ANYTHING, THERE DONE, COMPRENDO? **

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><p>Chapter 7<p>

I leaned against the back of the seat. We had been driving for more than two hours now. I was bored until my phone rang.

"Amy!" I easily recognized Dan's voice.

"Dan, are you OK? Are you hurt?" I panicked.

"Jeez, don't be such a worry wart." I rolled my eyes. "But seriously, where are you? I waited at the hotel for like ever! Nellie and I are really worried!" He yelled through the phone. I looked over at Ian to see if he heard.

"Be quieter Dan. Do you want Ian to hear you?" I looked at Ian again and he raised an eyebrow.

"IAN? WHAT THE HELL AMY?...sorry but why is he with you?" Dan lowered his voice.

"Well, at the beginning Isabel captured me and tortured me until I gave her the clues. I didn't give her all of them or the _recent _one. Then Ian kind of kidnapped me from Isabel and TAKING ME SOMEWHERE THAT I DON'T KNOW OF!" I raised my voice at the last part and Ian chuckled slightly.

"What? Amy we're going to come get you! Call me when you find out where you are!" He ended the phone call and I slumped against the back of my seat again.

"What was that all about?" Ian asked.

"None of your business, that's what." I looked out the tinted window.

"Daniel will be ok." Ian said. That caught me by surprise.

"I hope so…" I looked at the floor. "What if Isabel gets him?" I shuddered at the thought.

"I think she'll go after us first, love." I glared at him.

"Can you get over that nickname?" I asked.

"Why does it annoy you?" He smirked.

"No I _love _it!" I said and rolled my eyes.

"I know you do. Ah, I believe we're here." He said and on cue the limo stopped.

"You believe…" I muttered under my breath. He got out of the car and held out his hand.

"Shall we?" He asked and I slapped his hand.

"High five." I murmured and he laughed. I got out of the car and I felt like Dan after ten sodas. One word described the house: beautiful. Ian saw my face and smirked.

"You like it?" He asked and I looked at him incredulously.

"Um Duh!" I ran up to the house. It reminded me of the Cullen's house in the Twilight series. I was too caught up in the beauty to realize Ian had unlocked the door. I walked inside and I was a loss for words.

"Holy crap, if Nellie saw this she-" I stopped. "Nellie!" I grabbed my phone and called her.

"Kiddo where are you?" She asked. Her voice was frantic.

"I don't know. Ian brought me to this house. A really nice house, I might add and I have no idea where it is!" I looked outside one of the many glass windows for a clue. I walked to another room and locked the door. I don't want Ian to hear this.

"How nice is the house, like one through ten?" Nellie asked.

"A ten for sure I'll send you some- NELLIE! Get back to the point!" I shouted at her.

"What poi- oh yea! Do you have any idea where you might be?" I thought about it for a second.

"Well, when Isabel had me, I was definitely in a Lucian stronghold. By the looks of it, probably the Venezuelan one, I'm most likely in a two hour radius of it." I whispered, just in case Ian was listening.

"North, South, East, or West,"

"Hmmm…West because the sun was setting!" I said, remembering when I got in the limo. "Will that be enough?" I asked.

"We will have to make do." She said.

"Make do? That's a new one."

"It's cute right? Yea anyways, we will find you no matter what and get you away from the Cobra creep." Nellie said.

"Thanks Nellie." I hung up and walked out of the room.

"What were you guys talking about?" Ian asked from behind me.

"None of your frickin business, nosy!" I shouted at him. I spun on my heel and walked the other way.

"Wait! Don't you want a tour of the house?" I stopped.

"I suppose." He smiled and held out his arm for me to take.

"Don't pose like that. It makes you look even weirder." I innocently smiled. Where did that come from? I gave myself a mental high five. He looked surprised but then he had a mischievous smile on his face.

"What?" I asked, backing away from him.

"Oh you'll figure it out." He started to walk away. "Are you coming or not?" I sighed and followed.

"I have some questions." I said.

"Of course you do." I rolled my eyes. Then my phone rang.

"Hello?" The number was unknown.

"West right?" I recognized the voice as Nellie's.

"Yes!" I said, exasperated.

"OK I'm sorry; I'll leave you alone with your boyfriend now." Her tone was defensive.

"He's not-" She hung up. Ian looked at me weirdly.

"I'm not even going to ask." He said.

"Good choice."

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><p><strong>AN: Ok, I hope you liked it! Sorry it took me a long time to update! I was at a hotel and it had wifi but it was like 100 bucks a night. No thank you! Anyways hope you enjoyed!**

**~Luvlessgrl **


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own the 39 clues or anything else. Jeez, that was plain. :)**

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><p>Chapter 8<p>

Wow waiting is boring… and I never got a tour of the house.

Anyways, what made it worse is that I knew I would have to wait more than a day! Of course, Ian didn't know I was waiting, waiting for someone to be exact. He just thought that I had an abnormally short attention span. Not that that was false, I had picked it up from Dan. I got bored so I asked him a bunch of questions.

"Is there a library?" I asked. I could hear Dan in my head. _Of course you would ask for a library first!_ Ian smiled.

"I'm sorry, no." _Well, that's a bummer. _I got bored again quickly. Usually it was Dan that was bugging me about being bored. Oh my gosh, did I sound like Dan when I was bored? If I did, I actually felt bad for Ian.

"I'm sorry if I am annoying you! I just realized I sounded like Dan." I said.

"No it's perfectly fine, got anymore questions?" He looked at me expectantly.

"You won't mind my randomness?" I asked. I got random when I was bored. I didn't know much about Ian, like regular stuff. So why not ask him basic questions?

"Of course not," He smiled again…weird.

"Ok, so what's your favorite color?" I asked. We were sitting on the ground of the living room. I'm surprised that _the _Ian Kabra would ever sit on the floor.

"Green or red, I can't decide." He said.

"So are you in love with Christmas or something?" I asked. I personally loved Christmas.

"Huh? Why do you ask?" He looked confused.

"Red and green are Christmas colors." I explained.

"Oh, yea I like Christmas." He said.

"Ok, how about where are we?" I asked.

"Yea, nice try," He said, smirking and I snapped my fingers.

"Ok, what is your favorite animal and why?" He raised an eyebrow at my randomness. What can I say? I warned him.

"A snake because-"

"You are one?" I finished for him, smiling. I had no idea where all my confidence came from. Maybe Dan was rubbing off on me…uh oh.

"What? Now how could you ever think of me that way?" He exclaimed, trying to sound shocked. I rolled my eyes. "Well actually, I like the snake because…I don't know. It's my branch symbol I guess." He said, shrugging.

"Ok, that's interesting." I said, rubbing my chin.

"What's so interesting about it?" He asked and I shrugged.

"I don't know. It's just that I always thought of you as a unicorn guy." I grinned.

"So you do think about me?" He smirked and my grin dropped off my face.

"N-no that's not what I meant!" I tried to hide my blush.

"Of course it's not what you meant. I'm sorry for accusing you of something you just admitted to." I rolled my eyes again. Suddenly, my stomach growled.

"Do you have any food?" I asked, sheepishly.

"No I went through all that work to get you from Isabel and I brought you here to starve." _What was with this guy and snarky comments? _

"Whoa, ok you don't need to be all Kabra-ish about it." I said, defensively.

"Kabra-ish," He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yea Dan made it up a long time ago." I felt a pang of sadness. "But seriously, can I have some food?" _How could he not be hungry?_

"Six little letters," He grinned and I sighed.

"Please?" I asked. He left the room and I took it as a time to text Nellie.

_**How close?**_I waited for a reply.

_**We R bout 2 get on the plane**__. _I sighed. They were a long way away. How long was the flight, ten hours? And the ride here and they also have to find out _where_ I am. Yea, this was going to take a while.

_**Ok, have you guys figured out where I am?**_I waited for my phone to buzz.

_**Ha-ha about that…we kinda um got off topic? **_I smacked my forehead. Dan and Nellie together and _not _get distracted. What was I thinking?

_**U guys better find out where I am…**_I texted back and pinched the bridge of my nose.

_**We will! Oh look the plane is leaving ttyl Kiddo! **_Wow, thanks Nellie.

"We don't have much. Would you like to go out to eat?"Ian asked. I jumped and shoved my phone in my pocket.

"U-umm sure," I was still frazzled by his sudden appearance. He was about to ask, but shook his head. He grabbed his keys off the counter.

"Let's go."Ian said and I looked at him weirdly.

"You know you're fifteen, right?" I asked.

"Nobody cares on Margarita Island." He chuckled. My eyes widened and then he realized what he just said.

"N-no that's not what I meant." He stumbled over his words trying to cover up for what he just admitted to.

"I-I um have to go to the bathroom." I said and before I could run to the bathroom and text Nellie our location, he grabbed my arm.

"No you don't, now get in the car." His tone scared me a bit. I gulped and nodded. He led me out the door and into the car. He jammed his keys into the slot and we rode in silence for a while.

"What's the big deal if I leave or not?" I asked.

"It would be safer for you if you just stayed here." He didn't take his eyes off the road.

"You mean, if I stayed with a person that has tried to kill me many times before." I looked out the window, not wanting to see his furious face. Surprisingly, he just sighed.

"I know it doesn't sound safe, but Isabel could have already tracked Daniel and your babysitter and could have them in her grasp at this very moment."He said. I wanted to tell him differently, but I held my tongue.

"Oh," I tried to sound like I hadn't thought of that. "But still-"

"It's just safer this way!" He snapped. I winced and he took one hand off the steering wheel and ran it through his hair. "I'm sorry. I'm stressed." He said.

"It's fine." I replied, dully. I didn't meet his eyes. I looked out the window at the beautiful landscape. It was true what I had said to Nellie. This was a two hour radius, but she would probably think I would be on the main land, not a tiny island! I took out my phone and suddenly it was snatched out of my hand.

"Hey!" I said, reaching for my phone. Ian just put it in his pocket. "Give it back to me!"

"No-"

"Let me guess. It's not safe!" I said, cutting him off. He just shook his head and all of a sudden the car stopped.

"We're here." He said and I looked around. There were no buildings on sight, oh joy.

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><p><strong>AN: Ok so I thought Ian was a little off character in the last few chapters, so I tried to fix it. Amy was too, but I mainly focused on Ian. Anyways, I hope you liked it! I worked really hard on it!**

**~Luvlessgrl **


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"I thought we were going to get something to eat." I said, looking around at the tropical landscape. We were in the unpopulated part of the island so nobody was here. There was only the road and a cliff that dropped into the ocean.

"We were but apparently my GPS begs to differ." He said, getting the GPS from the car. I didn't even know he had one. I strained my ears to hear what Ian was mumbling.

"Stupid piece of junk…can you ever get me to where I want to go?" He grumbled, and then I heard the electronic voice of the GPS.

"No signal, no signal, no signal…" It kept repeating itself and Ian looked pretty angry.

"How can you have no signal, you worthless piece of rubbish?" He shouted at it and then suddenly, he wound his arm back and threw it off the cliff and into the ocean.

"Well that fixes a lot." I murmured to myself. If Ian heard that, he might throw _me _off the cliff. He stopped pacing to run his hand through his hair, and then he started to pace again.

"Ian calm down, it's ok the island is not that big anyway, so how about we drive around a bit?" I asked and he froze.

"Why that's an idea." He said and jumped in the car…mood swings much? For the first time, I got to admire the car. It was sleek black convertible with leather seats. I didn't know much about cars but I knew it must've cost a fortune. On the way here the top had been up. I got in the car and Ian handed me a pair of sunglasses.

"You might want to wear these." He said. I took the sunglasses and hesitantly put them on. They were aviators with reflective lenses. Ian put on an identical pair and he looked pretty darn good. He smirked and started to drive.

"Hey can I have my phone back?" I asked and he raised an eyebrow.

"Yea, sure by the way I didn't know I was that bad to be around." He said.

"You read my texts!" I shrieked at him, snatching the phone out of his hand.

"Yes I did, if you don't mind." He smirked again.

"I do mind!" I checked to see if Nellie texted me.

"Oh and by the way Nellie said that she and Daniel were off the plane and were going to check in at a hotel and then in the morning she would come save you from the "cobra creep." He smiled.

"Did you send anything back?" I asked.

"Of course I did! It's not polite to not finish the conversation." I flipped my phone open so fast, I thought it would snap in half. I frantically searched through my sent messages until I found Ian's. It wasn't hard to find because it was the only one that used correct grammar.

_**Thanks Helen. I am perfectly fine, no need to rush. I just found out that I am completely and hopelessly in love with him so I enjoy his presence. Take as much time as you need. I hope you have a good night! Sleep well and tell Daniel that I miss him and I hope I will see him in a couple of days! Thank you so much. **_

_**P.S. Did I mention that I'm in love with him?**_

_**~Amy **_

What the heck? First of all, how did he know Nellie's real name, second of all…WHAT THE HECK?

He looked at my horrified face and started to snicker.

"What the heck is wrong with you?" I asked and he laughed harder.

"Your…your…face…" He was laughing so hard he couldn't even finish his sentence. I was worried about his driving.

"Ian, the car!" He pulled over so he wouldn't drive off the cliff. Once the car stopped he doubled over in laughter. I started to beat him with a magazine I found in the car door. I was furious with him. Now Nellie probably thought I was on drugs or worse…she believed Ian. I decided to settle this right now. I picked up my phone and put it up to my ear.

"Hello?" Nellie sounded tired.

"Hey Nellie, did you get a weird text a little while ago?" I was silently pleading for a no. Ian had quieted down to listen to the conversation…creep.

"Yea what was that all about Amy?" She asked, suddenly she seemed awake.

"Ian took my phone and without my knowing, he texted you." I explained and Ian had started to cackle again.

"Ohhh… is that him laughing?" Wow, Ian must be really loud.

"Yes, if only he would just shut up!" I hit him with the magazine again.

"Can I talk to him?" She asked.

"Ummm yea sure…" I threw my phone at Ian. He picked it up and put it to his ear.

"Yes? Oh alright…yes that text was totally true. She is helplessly in love with me. Yes as shocking as-" I grabbed at the phone but Ian held it out of my reach. "Alright that's nice…yea ok I'll talk to you later Helen." He hung up the phone and handed it to me. I took it and glared at him. He started the car again.

"Can I go back to Dan and Nellie? Now you know that they are perfectly safe, can I go?" I asked.

"No, I don't think so." He said.

"Why?" I whined.

"Because," Ian checked his watch.

"Because…?" I motioned for him to continue.

"Just because," I sighed, annoyed.

"What's the big deal anyway?" I asked, really mad at him now. He just couldn't give me a straight answer, now could he?

"Isabel," He said coldly. That put an end on our conversation. We rode in silence for a while. I noticed the sun was starting to set. I snuck a glance at Ian. He was gripping the steering wheel so tight, his knuckles paled.

"Ian, it's ok. You can relax." I tried to calm him down. He tore his eyes off the road and focused on my face.

"You do _not_ tell me what to do." I cringed at his tone and he sighed. "I'm sorry; I didn't intend it to come out that mean." He said, running his hand through his hair.

"You think?"I muttered and looked out the window at the setting sun. It cast a beautiful reflection off the ocean.

They sky was turning dark when I finally broke the silence.

"Shouldn't we head back now?" I asked.

"Very well," I could tell he was limiting the conversation…great.

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><p><strong>AN: OK so that was chapter 9! I hope you liked it, I worked very hard. Sorry about Ian's mood swings. That's what happens when he's stressed…yea. Any who, I will be adding another chapter soon! **

**~Luvlessgrl**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

When we got back to the house, it was around ten o'clock. Everything was perfectly still. It seemed like nothing dared to interrupt the silence. Of course, I didn't either. Now Ian…he was a different story.

"Do you know how hungry I am?" He complained, getting out of the car.

"Yes I do, in fact I have gone longer than you have thank you very much." That silenced him. He unlocked the front door and we stepped inside. Then I noticed something.

"No butlers?" I asked and he just raised an eyebrow. "Impressive…" I noted. The Kabras _always _had assistance. I walked around the living room. This was the only room I had been in. I decided something right away.

"I want a tour." I told him.

"Um ok, where do you want to start?" He asked. It must be a really big house.

"How about downstairs, since we are already down here?" I suggested and he walked out of the room. Wow, he could never be a tour guide. I followed him down one of the many hallways. We stopped at an elegant office.

"As you can see this is the office." Ian said and we continued the tour of the house. There were four bedrooms, two offices, four bathrooms, a recreational room, the living room, many hallways, a kitchen, and a huge backyard. Every room took my breath away. The way they were decorated and furnished.

Finally we got back to the living room. I plopped down on one of the couches, exhausted.

"Do you have any movies?" I asked. What can I say? I was in the movie-mood.

"As a matter of fact, I do." He said and walked out of the room. He came back with a boat load of movies in his hands.

"Wow, that's a lot of variety." He set the movies down next to me on the couch. I started to sort through them. "Hey Ian, can you like not stand there and actually help me?" He chuckled but sat down next to the pile of DVDs. He dumped a bunch on the floor without my opinion. I picked one up.

"How do you not like National Treasure?" I asked, disbelieving.

"I have never seen it." He admitted.

"Well this is the one we are watching then." I handed the disk to him. He raised an eyebrow but walked over to the abnormally large flat screen T.V. He inserted the disk and the screen came to life. But something was missing.

I walked to the Kitchen and opened a cupboard. It was loaded with snacks! I found some popcorn and stuck it in the microwave.

"What are you doing?" Ian asked from behind me.

"I thought you said there wasn't any food." I put my hand on my hip.

"_That, _in my book, doesn't count as food." He said.

"Do you even know what this is?" I pulled the popcorn out of the microwave. He looked disgusted at the buttery bag.

"No, but it doesn't look edible." He said.

"Oh wow…you really don't know what popcorn is." I walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. He followed me and I sat down on the couch. National Treasure was about to start. I hadn't seen this movie since…since…well before the clue hunt, I guess.

It was kind of funny how the bad guy in the movie was British and his name was Ian. The movie also reminded me a lot of the clue hunt…creepy. I looked over at Ian and his eyes were glued to the screen. Apparently, he wasn't the only one who loved National Treasure. Half way through the movie, I felt my eye lids droop. I looked at Ian again and he seemed as tired as I did.

I yawned and didn't fight my drowsiness. I closed my eyes and leaned against the side of the couch. The T.V. turned off filling the room and my vision with blackness.

…

…

…

I woke up to whispering. I didn't open my eyes though, due to the harsh sunlight.

"Ew, this is gross." That sounded like Dan's voice so I must be dreaming.

"How do you think this is gross? It's like so cute!" Wow, my dreams were really good at copying Nellie.

"What? Jeez Nellie, you're such a girl." My eyes flew open at the mentioning of Nellie. There before me, stood my annoying little brother and my Goth Au Pair. Dan looked disgusted and Nellie had a dreamy look on her face.

"Nellie, Dan!" I cried and tried to run to them, but I couldn't move off the couch. I turned my head and gasped. Ian was sleeping right next to me, like right next to me. I couldn't move because he had his arms around my waist. My face heated up and I shot a panicked look at Nellie.

"Ian, wake up." I said, lightly shaking him.

"Amy…" He muttered in his sleep and he pulled me closer to him. I turned a nice crimson color and Dan snickered.

"I-Ian, wake up!" I shouted at him. This was too embarrassing. He sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Amy, love why are-" He noticed Nellie and Dan. "Why are you here?" It was colder than the tone he used with me.

"Well we just came by to pick up a movie. You have billions." Dan gestured to the pile of movies on the floor. Ian rolled his eyes. I got off the couch and ran up to hug them.

"Ew gross, get her off me!" Dan whined and I laughed. Who knew I could miss his complaining? I withdrew from the hug and Nellie grinned.

"I told you we would come find you." She said. Ian got off the couch and brushed off his clothes.

"Well you found her. Where does your little plan lead you next?" Ian crossed his arms.

"What do you think genius?" Nellie matched Ian's attitude.

"So you are going to take her away." He smirked for some reason. I did not like where he was going with this.

"Um duh," Dan said and Ian shifted his weight to the other foot casually.

"Now what's stopping me from giving Isabel your location?" His smirk got larger. Nellie glared at him.

"You wouldn't." She dared and he took out his phone.

"Oh, I think I would." Ian said. Now Nellie _and _Dan were giving him the death glare.

"Jerk…" I muttered under my breath.

"Dude, what do you want from us?" Nellie asked.

"Oh nothing…" Ian said with a wave of his hand. Nellie looked confused and gave me a look. I shrugged. I had no clue what Ian was getting at.

"So… we um can go?" Dan asked and Ian laughed.

"I wouldn't let you off that easy, now would I?" He said.

"Ian, seriously what do you want?" I was annoyed with him.

"Let me join." He said simply and we all looked at each other.

"What?" Nellie asked.

"Let me join, your clue hunting team." Our mouths fell open.

"Why would you want to do that?" I crossed my arms. How could I not be suspicious?

"I don't want to be a part of my team anymore. Isabel and Natalie both don't treat me like family should and I'm tired of it. Natalie hasn't even called to see if I'm ok or anything. Plus, I have money and resources." He suggested. I looked at Nellie. Was she buying this?

"How stupid do you think we are?" Nellie challenged.

"Not very, since you've made it this far," He shrugged.

"Well the answer is no." Nellie said. Ian pulled out his phone.

"I have Isabel on speed dial." Dan looked at me, panicked. _Do something! _His eyes screamed.

"Ian ,wait!" I snatched the phone from his hand and I decided. I had to stall him. "You can join." I said simply. Dan and Nellie looked at me incredulously. Ian grinned triumphantly.

"I'm glad you saw my side of it love." He said.

"Don't call me that." The sentence came out naturally. Dan looked at me again. _What are you doing? _His eyes said. _Wait for the signal, _I said and I turned my eyes away, trying to avoid suspicion.

"Well, I will just grab my keys." He turned his back from us for a second, a second too long. I hit Dan on the shoulder and his eyes widened. I bolted out the door with Nellie and Dan at my heels. We heard Ian's frantic footsteps behind us.

We threw the front door open and ran outside. Nellie jumped in another convertible and jammed the keys in the slot. We hopped in after her and sped out of the drive way. When we got out of the house's view, I breathed a sigh of relief. _Things would've gotten bad. _I thought and we blew through the small towns.

Psh, let him join…in a million years!

**A/N: OMG that took me forever! I hoped you enjoyed it! You weren't expecting that now were you? Of course not! Nobody expected that! Well except for Elvis's second cousin's daughter in law. Wow that's one to think about. Any who, I hoped you liked it and if you didn't notice I have had too much sugar lately. If you haven't…WELL I DON'T KNOW! DO WHAT YOU WANT YOU FILTHY CANTALOUPES! That's how you spell cantaloupes right? Aw who cares? Oh yea…you do! **

**~Luvlessgrl (man that was a sucky ending :) **


	11. Chapter 11

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING! **

**Yes I know, I said I would end it last chapter. Ha-ha…PSHYCE! Ok just for a warning: intenseness ahead. LOOK OUT! But seriously don't hit your head. Ok I'm sorry…time to get intense. **

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><p>Chapter 11<p>

We flew out of South America as fast as possible.

From all the excitement he plane ride was rather long and boring. We didn't really care where we were going. It just had to be the quickest flight out of there. Nellie and Dan were talking but I wasn't paying attention to them. I was deep in thought.

_Why would Ian want to join our team? Does he know where we are? Does Isabel know where we are? Are they on a plane ready to intercept us when we land? Does-_

"Amy? Amy!" Dan was waving his hand in front of my face.

"Yes?" I turned to him.

"Nellie checked to see if any of our dearest family was on the flight and surprisingly there were none. Anyways, I thought it was time to try to figure out the bone." He said and pulled the bone out of his backpack. One side of it held a saying from Socrates. It was in Greek, but I recognized it from class. I forgot what it meant though. On the other side was a bunch of letters.

"What do you think you're doing?"I whispered to him and pushed the bone back into his bag. I looked over at the flight attendant, to see if she saw the bone.

"Um I'm trying to pull a clue out of my backpack. What are _you _doing?" He asked.

"I'm trying to protect us from security. Yea, everyday a flight attendant sees kids pulling real bones out of their bags." I zipped the backpack up.

"I just have to look at it, and then I can write it down." He said and I nodded. I leaned forward, blocking the attendant's view of Dan.

"Got it!" I turned around to see Dan and a furiously-scribbled-on napkin. I looked at the napkin. It read:

_Thanse, Hanset, Ehnats, Thanse, Hanset, Ehnats… _It kept repeating itself over and over. Something just rung a very small bell in the back of my mind.

"I have no idea what it means. You're the walking encyclopedia." He said and handed me the napkin.

"Well you're the puzzle guy." I handed the napkin back to him. His brow scrunched up in thought. That little bell was still ringing. I gripped the side of my chair. I couldn't stand not figuring out something. An actual bell interrupted my thoughts.

"_Passengers, thank you for flying with Jet Blue! We will be arriving in Greece in a few minutes. We hoped you enjoyed the flight!" _The pilot shut off the speakers. Greece…I put my head in my hands. Arghh, it was all so familiar!

"You got anything?" Dan asked.

"Nope, you?" He shook his head, _great. _

"Maybe we can sleep on it?" He suggested.

"No we have to get it today, before another team gets it." I told him.

"How will another team get it? We are the only ones who got the lead." He said.

"Um do you think that maybe there were more bones in the coffin? It's not a great chance that we grabbed the only one with words on it."

"Oh," He realized and I nodded. "Well all the other teams are too stupid to figure it out anyways." Dan smiled as he said it.

"You got that right, dweeb." I rubbed his head.

"Don't touch me, dorkasaur."He said and I raised an eyebrow. _I was around Ian way too long…_

"Dorkasaur, that's a new one." He grinned.

"_Please turn off all electronics. We are about to land. Thank you for flying with Jet Blue!" _The cheery voice was broadcasted throughout the plane.

"Well, I guess we can figure it out at whatever hotel we are staying at." He grabbed the bag from under the seat. Nellie did the same thing. The whole flight, Nellie had been shockingly quiet. She looked deep in thought. It was probably because of Ian's little proposition. People started to file out of the plane so I tapped Nellie's shoulder.

"Nellie we're leaving." I told her and she slung the bag over her shoulder. She smiled but it looked a little uneasy.

"Let's get off this stupid plane." She said and I followed her out the door.

The airport was crowded but we were used to it by now. I was weaving in and out of people but suddenly I heard a very familiar name.

"Did you hear about Ian Kabra?" The man talking lowered his voice. I had to strain my ears but I still only caught bits of what he was saying. "Was…murdered…morning," No way…my eyes widened and I ran to catch up with Dan and Nellie. I finally saw Nellie. She was dancing to some punk song.

"Nellie!" I cried running up to her. She took out her earphones.

"What's the matter kiddo?" She asked.

"I overheard some people talking about Ian." I paused, catching my breath from running. "And I heard that he was murdered!" Nellie's IPod hit the ground with a thump.

"You know people. They lie and make up stories…right?" She looked doubtful in what she said. Dan suddenly walked up to us.

"Whoa, what's the matter grumpies?" Dan said with a mouthful of doughnut. Nellie was hesitant so I decided to answer.

"I heard that Ian was murdered!" I exclaimed and Dan choked on his doughnut.

"_The _Ian, as in Ian Kabra?" He coughed and I nodded. "No that's not- it can't be." He shook his head. Nellie walked away and picked up a newspaper. She walked back to us and handed me the newspaper mutely. There on the front page in big letters read:

**THE SON OF VIKRAM AND ISABEL MURDERED. **I scanned the text.

_**Margarita Island, Venezuela 8:53 am.**_

_**This morning, reporters found a large amount of blood in one of the Kabra family households. This large of an amount of blood lost would kill a person, for sure scientists had said. Ian Kabra was recorded staying here all week. Scientists ran a DNA test of the blood and it was positive it belonged to Kabra. **_

_**The mother of Kabra was devastated when she found out. The father however was nowhere to be seen. "I never would have expected this. My only son had been killed and he was on vacation!" Mrs. Kabra had said and broke down in hysterical sobbing. Natalie Kabra, victim's sister, was also there but she was too overwhelmed to speak. Ian Kabra was…**_

That's when I stopped reading. The newspaper fell out of my hand.

Ian was dead…the same Ian. Ian our competition, our enemy, a Lucian, a guy who I had just seen early this morning.

Ian...a dead man.

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><p><strong>AN: Quite a twist wasn't it? That's two in row! Wow I'm in too of a serious mood to be random…well I hope you enjoyed or didn't. Phew, wow that was intense. Until next time!**

**~Luvlessgrl**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

I collapsed on the hotel bed. My mind was racing. I would expect Ian to come out of the closet and say 'I'm back, love.' I would tell him not to call me that and I wouldn't have to worry anymore. But every time I looked in the closet, I found empty hangers.

I'm not supposed to care as much as I do. But I can't help it. _Ian's dead…I will never see him again. _I shook my head. I _shouldn't _care this much. His little fan girls should be the ones all depressed, but not me. I got off the bed and I changed the clothes. On the collar of my shirt I found a small listening bug. I easily detected it as a Lucian one…_Ian's. _

But it didn't matter anymore, Ian was dead. He was no longer on this earth. _But who had taken him off of it? _Only one person came to mind…Isabel. Of course Isabel, the whole interview was a cover-up. She probably found out that he was housing me and killed him…out of plain fury. I winced at the thought of her angry. I had seen it many times, but it was usually covered up by a faux smile. I heard my phone buzz on the bedside table. I picked it up hesitantly and put it to my ear.

"Hello?" I asked. I could easily hear someone crying on the other end.

"Amy? I-it's Natalie." She sounded frightened. _Why would she be calling me? _

"Hey Natalie," I said in a gentle tone. "What's the matter?"

"I'm sure you've heard about I-I-Ian." Tears clouded my vision. The poor girl stammered on her brother's name.

"Yea I have, I'm so sorry." I truly meant it. I heard her burst out in tears. She was _never_ like this.

"I'm in trouble." She barely choked out.

"Why?" I asked. _Who would she be in trouble with?_

"M-mum, she thinks that I knew where…I-Ian held you." Her voice quivered. She paused. "She says that she's going to t-torture me for my ignorance." I almost dropped the phone. First Isabel murders her son, and then she is going to torture her only child left!

"Oh Natalie!" I felt like giving her a hug.

"Can you come s-save me?" She asked hesitantly and a tear trickled down my cheek .She was so scared that she asked for help. I knew that a Kabra never asks for help.

"Of course Natalie, where are you?" I asked.

"I'm in the same place M-Mum held you." I winced at the thought of the 'lie detector.'

"Alright, we will be there." I tried to say it as calm as possible but it didn't help that my voice shook.

"Please hurry," She hung up the phone in a rush.

"Who was that?" A voice asked and I jumped. I guess the phone call put me on edge. I turned around and came face to face with my little brother.

"Natalie," I said, simply.

"Why would _she _call you?" He asked.

"This is serious, Dan." I told him.

"I would like to know what's serious." He said. I took a deep breath.

"Natalie called me in tears-" Dan cut me off.

"Oh please! Natalie… in tears?" He asked incredulously.

"Dan, just listen! Natalie called me crying and she told me that Isabel was going to torture her. We are supposed to come get her before Isabel."I finished and he stood silent. Suddenly he burst into laughter.

"We? Ha that's really funny Ames! No way am I going to risk my life for a person who has tried to kill us many times! Really, you should be a comedian." He laughed and walked out of the room. Then he poked his head in the door. "You can go by yourself." Dan did this when he was stressed.

He left and my mouth dropped open. Dan was always by my side and I was always by his. I sighed and went to go find Nellie. I couldn't go by myself. That would be like walking up to Isabel and saying "Hey, shoot me will ya?" I found Nellie in the kitchen, humming to an off-beat tune.

"Hey," She looked up at me.

"Hey kiddo, I was just making dinner." She said.

"Nellie, I don't think we will be eating dinner."

**~Later in the evening~**

I had told Nellie the whole plan and she agreed. We were both suspicious about it being a trap or not, but decided not to let down Natalie.

"Gun?" I was reading off a checklist we had made.

"Check," Nellie showed me her small handgun. Hopefully, we would not need that.

"Map?" I asked.

"Check," She showed me the map.

"Bullet proof vests?" Who knew when it came to Isabel?

"Check," Nellie pulled out two clunky looking vests. I read off the rest of the checklist and we had everything. I slung the pack over my shoulder and turned toward the empty door way. I wish Dan would come with us. We had asked him several times, but every time he declined.

"You ready?" Nellie asked me, gripping her bag.

"Let's do this." We walked out the door and I was about to close it when a voice spoke up.

"You actually thought I wouldn't come?" I turned around to a boy with a crooked grin. I matched his and I threw my arms around him.

"Dan!" I exclaimed.

"Ew gross!" Dan shrieked and pried me off him. I laughed.

"Guys are we going or not?" Nellie said but she couldn't help the small smile that was on her face. I looked at Dan expectantly.

"Let's go."

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><p><strong>AN: Alright that was the new chapter! I know I will get some reviews like man Natalie was so OOC. Well I would be OOC too if I just lost my brother jeez! Sorry, I just had to get that out :) Anyways, I know how awesome I am for updating so quickly. *applause* oh you're too kind! **

**~Luvlessgrl**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

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><p>I spread the map out on the ground and got out my flashlight. Dan and Nellie were looking over my shoulders. We were crouched down in a forest, adjacent to the stronghold. I shone the light on the map.<p>

"Oh, so Natalie's held in the…ebony room." He said, pointing at a small box in the map.

"Yea, that's correct according to the information she gave us." I said and folded up the map.

"Here let me take that map. Just in case Is- just for safety reasons." I knew what Nellie was about to say. _Just in case Isabel goes after you. _I shook my head. I couldn't think about it now. I handed her the map. She rolled it up carefully and stuck it in her jacket.

"How many guards do you think there will be?" Dan asked and I shrugged.

"I have no idea. When Isabel brought me here, I was blind folded." I remembered.

"Alrighty then, so I guess we'll just walk around, chat with the guards, have some tea with Isabel, and then go save Natalie!" Dan exclaimed and I shushed him.

"Do you want some of the guards to hear us?" I hissed at him. "Anyways, there were several air vents in every room or hallway. I guess we could travel through those." I suggested and they both nodded.

"That will have to work, but we have to keep as quiet as possible." Nellie said.

"You know guys… this could just be a trap." Dan stated.

"I think we've already come to that conclusion, genius." I told him and he just rolled his eyes.

"Yea, but we shouldn't put Natalie's life on the line because of paranoia." Nellie pointed out.

"So it's settled, let's go kick some Cobra butt!" Dan cried, pumping his fist in the air.

"Shut up, Dan! We can't even get near Natalie if we get caught!" He shut up.

"Alright, let's do this." He hopped out from the tree's cover and pressed his back against the tree trunk. He made a finger gun and motioned for us to move. I rolled my eyes but got out behind the tree.

We kept walking cautiously until the large concrete walls loomed over us. I pointed silently to the vent in the side of the wall. They both nodded and suddenly, I was pulled out of the way. At that very moment, a bright light swept across the ground. I looked over at Nellie and she smiled.

"You actually got to open your eyes, kiddo." Nellie whispered.

"Yea thanks," I replied and we snuck over to the vent, avoiding lights and guards along the way. We bent next to the vent and Dan examined the edges.

"Medium sized bolts, hexagonal, seems like titanium." He murmured to himself. "Nellie can I see the dart gun?" Dan asked her. Nellie raised an eyebrow.

"Um sure, what do you have in mind?" She asked, handing him the sleek, black gun.

"I was planning on melting the metal with the poison." He filtered out a dart as he explained. _Melting the metal…that's exactly what Ian did to save me. _I felt sadness wash over me. He disobeyed his mother's orders and it got him killed. I felt a hand being placed on my shoulder.

"Hey stop worrying, we will get Natalie." Nellie said, reassuringly. I didn't even bother to tell her that that wasn't the thing on my mind. I gave her a weak smile.

"Guys I got it open!"Dan whispered. We both turned our attention to the gaping hole in the wall.

"Nice," I said.

"Yea, well um…ladies first!" He pushed me into the hole.

"Dan!" I cried.

"What? You probably know where everything is and I just proved to you that I have manners." I rolled my eyes.

"Actually, if you were listening, which you weren't, I was blindfolded when Isabel brought me here." I told him.

"Oh," _Yea, oh… _I crawled along the dirty vent, looking down at the rooms occasionally. My knees and hands were getting sore from crawling. We didn't even dare to make any noise, besides trudging along, I guess. Suddenly I stopped when I heard a very familiar voice. I looked around for the source of the voice. There, on the side of the vent, was a small crack.

I was surprised that Nellie or Dan hadn't asked why I stopped. They must've heard it too. I stressed my ears to pick up the words.

"Well, well, well, my own daughter." She clucked her tongue. My blood ran cold at the recognition of her voice…Ian's murderer.

"Mum, please don't hurt me." It sounded exactly like the monsters voice, but scared as heck. Isabel's evil cackle filled the air.

"Now who said anything about hurting you?" Her voice sounded sickly sweet. I was absolutely repulsed. Natalie said nothing. "Very well, I won't hurt you." I waited for the _unless…_ "Unless, you give me some answers." Well, there it is.

"What do you need to know?" I could tell Natalie was trying to be strong but the wobble in her voice gave her away. Isabel laughed.

"Oh not much, I just need you to sit in this chair. It's a lie detector, nothing less nothing more." My eyes widened. I looked over my shoulder and shot a glance at Nellie. She held up three fingers. Three…two…one. We burst through the vent. Nellie had loosened the screws while they were talking. We all landed on our feet, even Dan. Isabel took a step back, surprised, but then she recovered.

"Why hello there! If I knew you were going to join us, I would've brought more chairs." Isabel said.

"Oh were we going to have tea! How lovely, I almost remembered my own mug!" Dan exclaimed and I smiled. Isabel eyes flickered with annoyance.

"I see you still have no manners." Isabel stuck up her nose.

Dan snorted "And _I_ see you still have very bad breath." Nellie's lip curled upwards. I swear I saw a bit up steam come from Isabel's ears. Suddenly she pulled out her dart gun.

"I'm sorry for ending this tea party early."She said. Nellie brought out her gun to and tossed us our own.

"It's three against one Isabel, give it up!" I spoke up for the first time.

"Apparently, you don't know how to count." She gestured to Natalie with the hand that did not have death written all over it. Natalie paled.

"I believe Natalie isn't on your side." I replied, calmly and Isabel's eyes were lit on fire.

"Of course, she is on my side! Right Natalie…?" Isabel glared at Natalie, compelling her to side with her. Natalie gulped and looked at me. I gave her a small reassuring smile and she nodded.

"Actually M-M-Mum," Natalie began, softly. "I don't l-like you." She ran over to us before Isabel could slap her. Nellie put on arm around her shoulders. Isabel looked murderous, but then put on a smile.

"So cute," Isabel started. "But I'm afraid this little reunion isn't over yet." She took a step towards us.

"It seems like we have a meeting to get to, ta-ta!" Nellie scurried up a rope that was dropped from the vent. _Who had dropped the rope? _I couldn't think about that, either. I hoisted Natalie up before Isabel realized what we were doing. Now it was only me and Dan against a homicidal woman.

"How sweet, brother and sister, united to take down an enemy." She smiled.

"Come on you guys!" Nellie hissed from inside the vent.

"We'll be leaving now." Dan said and flew through the air and landed in the vent. Isabel hadn't even moved a muscle to get Dan. So that means…she was waiting for me.

"Oh look at what we have here; it's only you and me." Isabel smirked and pointed her gun right at my heart. I raised my own gun. "If only Ian could save you! But wait, I almost forgot! He's dead." She snarled and leaped at me. I jumped out of the way and Isabel tucked and rolled. She stood up and blocked the vent.

"No way out, sweetie." She cooed. Man, I swear it's this woman's time of month is all-year lon_g_.

"I _do _have eyes." I said, trying to use some of Dan's courage. Isabel cocked her gun and pointed it at me, once again. My overly-alert eyes saw Isabel's finger twitch and hit the trigger. I dove out of the way just in the nick of time.

"I see the Madrigals have taught you well." She hissed as she said Madrigals.

"Better than the Lucians, apparently," I retorted and I swear I saw her eyes grow darker.

"I have plenty of darts." She warned.

"Same here," Her finger twitched again and I ducked. _Wfff…_I heard it fly through the air, inches away from my ear. I didn't have time to breathe a sigh of relief because another dart was flying my way. Isabel was laughing madly. She had officially lost it…again.

"Amy dear, would you mind staying still for a minute?" I didn't reply with a snarky comment. Something was distracted me…oh yea! It was those little death needles hurling toward me at like a hundred miles an hour. Suddenly, I felt something streak across my shin. I knew what it was, but didn't dare to look down. Slowly, my shin grew numb and weak. It was a weird feeling. Like the medicine you get from the dentist when you get a tooth pulled, but…on your leg.

Soon the felling spread throughout my whole left leg. Then another dart implanted itself in my arm. My eyes grew heavy and I crumpled to the floor. I tried to cry for Nellie or Dan or even Natalie, but the words got stuck in my throat. Once again, my eye lids drooped. I barely saw Isabel standing over me with a triumphant grin on her face.

And once again, I felt myself drifting to unconsciousness. You would think you would get used to it after a couple of times.

Trust me…you don't.

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><p><strong>AN: Alright, so that was chapter 13 if I'm correct. I hope you liked it. Man, I just realized I say that every time…weird. Yea, I'm not going to say that anymore. It's now going to be like… "I very much wish that you enjoyed what I do with my life." PERFECT! Yes, I knew it took me awhile. I am so dearly sorry for the wait. And if you didn't care…well lay off! Yea that's right, I told you to lay off. Ok topic changer, something's confusing me lately…oh you thought I was going to tell you! Ha-ha yea right! In your dreams suckers! **

**~Luvlessgrl**

**P.S. In your dreams! :) Ya that's right, I repeated what I said! **


	14. Chapter 14

**DISCLAIMER: Alright, I don't own anything. *brushes off hands***

**Now that was easy.**

**P.S. PLEASE READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE! ESPECIALLY YOU, THE GIRL OF THE MOON! :)**

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><p>Chapter 14<p>

I was finally gaining consciousness when everything came back to me. I was in Isabel's grasp once again. And this time…I probably wasn't getting out. Suddenly, a cold substance got pressed to my forehead. Relief quickly spread throughout my head and I sighed.

"I think she's regaining consciousness, Dan." A familiar voice said. My eyes flew open at my brother's name. There kneeling over me, were Nellie and Dan. I felt a grin burst out on my face and I threw my arms around them both.

"Good to see you too, kiddo!" Nellie laughed.

"How the heck did you guys get out of there? Where's Isabel? Is she dead? How did you get me out? What about all the guards?" The questions poured out of my mouth. Nellie opened her mouth but Dan beat her to it.

"One…. because we have awesome ninja powers," He held out one finger. "Isabel fled the scene once she felt the wrath of Ninja Dan! No she's not dead from what we know…which isn't much if you think about it. I already answered that one. The guards were no match for us. The End, story's over." Nellie and I both looked at Dan, weirdly.

"What? It's true, you know." He held up his hands, defensively. Then I noticed the dark bags under his eyes.

"It's been a long night. Maybe you should get some sleep." Nellie suggested and Dan yawned.

"Yea, I guess that's a good idea." He stumbled out of the room. He must be really tired because he usually puts up a fight to go to bed. I raised an eyebrow at Nellie. She just shrugged and pressed the ice to my forehead.

"So what _really _happened?" I asked and she grinned.

"Well, after you got shot by Isabel," I winced and rubbed my arm where she hit me. I nodded at her to continue.

"I got back out of the vent and attacked her. Man, does she have some skills. Anyways, the Lucian agents started to pour into the room and Isabel got distracted. Then WAM! I shot her and she went down! I would have like cracked up, but you know you were practically dead on the floor. So I carried you at of the stronghold and into the forest where they couldn't find us. I called Fiske and he came and picked us up. Natalie is with us and she's perfectly fine." She finished smiling in triumph. I sighed and leaned back on the sofa in relief.

"Where's Natalie now?" I asked.

"She crashed out on the couch. Poor girl, she was so tired that she slept on, and I quote, "A Peasant Couch!" Nellie imitated Natalie's high voice and I cracked a smile. _Everybody was OK…_ I sighed again and closed my eyes.

"Oh and Amy?" I opened my eyes and looked at Nellie. "Natalie wanted to tell you something and it sounded pretty important." I took that as a dismissal, got off the couch, and left the room.

…**Yep I'm tired of line breaks…how'd ya know?…**

I later found Natalie sprawled out on the small couch. I looked closer at her and saw a small crumpled note in her left hand. I walked over her, trying to make as less noise as possible. I slowly bent down and tried to gently tug the note from her hand. She wouldn't let go, not even slacken her grip. I resorted to waking her up.

"Natalie, Natalie wake up…" I whispered softly. When she didn't stir, I shook her lightly.

"Mhmmm?" Natalie sounded tired. Wow…now _that_ was an intelligent observation.

"Hey are you felling alright?" I asked.

"I feel better when I sleep." Natalie responded sarcastically. She put a pillow over her face and I almost smiled. So the old Natalie wasn't gone completely.

"I'm sorry. It's just that Nellie said you had something important to tell me." She immediately straightened and rubbed her eyes.

"Oh yes, it's about I-Ian." Her expression dropped when his name came up. I patted her back to keep her from crying.

"It's ok. You don't have to tell me yet." I said and got off the couch.

"No, I want to tell you now." She crossed her arms stubbornly so I took my place back on the couch.

"Alright, what is it?" I asked.

"Well, I got a strange letter right before he…he…" She choked up.

"I got it." _Right before he died, _was what she was going to say.

"Yea, so I got this letter. Well, it isn't strange anymore. Though when I got it, I was wondering what he was going to do. Here," She handed the note to me. It was the one she was clinging to in her sleep. I took one look at it and the first thing I noticed was that Ian's fancy script filled the page. Then I started at the beginning of the mass of words.

_Dear Natalie, _

_It is me, Ian. I was writing to say how much I love you. Yes, we haven't talked in quite awhile, now have we? I guess the clue hunt has gotten in the way of our bond. Anyways, I want to say that I always cared for you even when we were in an argument. Even when you spent hundreds of thousands pounds on clothing, shoes, and what not. I just want you to remember that I love you no matter what. _

I felt a tear roll down my cheek.

_You are probably wondering what I'm smoking, but the truth is that you'll never see me again. No I'm not- what do those Americans say? Ah yes, no I'm not pulling your leg. I will truly be gone forever. I enjoyed being your brother and I hope you loved me back…even when I burned your shoes that one time. Well, since I will be gone and not have a lot of time, I want you to do something for me._

"Anything, Ian," I heard Natalie promise quietly over my shoulder. Then I noticed how tear soaked the letter was. Probably from Natalie AND me.

_I did a lot of bad things in my lifetime._

You could say that again.

_Especially to the people I love... my family and friends and even the girl that I love. Please apologize to Amy for me. She never deserved what she went through. Nobody deserved to go through what she did. Tell her that I really do love and care for her. _

My face heated up but I got it under control.

_Also please apologize to the whole family and the Lucian branch for what I have done in my past. I feel deeply sorry for everything and I mean everything. And on top of all that, I just have warning for you._

_Stay away from Isabel. _

_That's all I can say. I love you Natalie and I will remember you forever and hopefully the same will imply to you. Goodbye._

_Love,_

_Ian_

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><p><strong>...Yea, I'm sorry if I put you in depression there. I know I haven't updated in awhile. And yes I have a reason. And yes, I will tell you this time. I was in the hospitaldoctor for almost all of this week. No I won't die…just in case you were wondering. This week I was diagnosed with celiac disease.**

**For those who don't know what that is, it's a condition that damages the lining of the small intestine and prevents you from getting nutrients from your food. It's caused by eating gluten. Now I was in the doctor getting the blood tests and I was in the hospital because I had to get and endoscopy and a colonoscopy. Yea, you don't wanna know. And if you do know what celiac disease then you're probably like "Psh well it's not really a big deal."Well it was left undiagnosed for five years. So I hope that sums it up for ya. **

**For The Girl of the Moon, that's why I couldn't PM you back. I'm so sorry! I hope you're not mad at me. **

**~Luvlessgrl**


	15. Chapter 15

**DISCLAIMER! **

**ALRIGHT, WHOA ENOUGH WITH THE CAPS ALREADY! Ah, much better. I don't own anything, even the internet!**

**Dan: In your face! Ha-Ha Amy! Pay up! **

**Amy: Darn…*hands Dan ten bucks***

**Me: Hey! You guys were betting?**

**Dan: Maybe…**

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><p>Chapter 15<p>

I crumpled to my knees and I heard Natalie do the same. The letter was balled up in my hand. Not just a letter, it was like reading Ian's will. His will! It wasn't a particularly long letter but the words meant so much. He loved me. That wasn't the only thing that passed through my head though. I couldn't even imagine being in Natalie's shoes right now. I crawled over to her and wrapped my arms around her shoulders. She cried hysterically into my shoulder.

"He doubted that I loved him. He wasn't sure! He didn't know!" She sobbed.

"He did know, Natalie. He knew that you loved him more than anyone else in the world." I whispered, still shaken from the letter.

"It doesn't matter. He's gone. He's really, truly gone. He l-left me with no one left. He will never ever know." She cried. My shoulder was starting to dampen from her tears, not that I cared. I stroked her hair like a mother would to her daughter.

"Natalie, he's probably watching us right now, up in heaven. That's where," I had to pause to collect myself. "T-that's w-where he belongs." I choked up.

"B-but, I still have no one. Nobody l-loves me, no one ever did…" She buried her face in her hands.

"I-Ian always loved you, no matter what. He proved that. Now shhh…it's ok, you have us now. We'll t-take care of you." I told her, reassuringly. She looked up at me with hopeful amber eyes.

"Really?" She asked in a small voice.

"Really," I hugged her again. I never expected this conversation to happen…ever. Well, I never thought that Ian would be dead before he got his driver's license. Another tear rolled down my cheek.

"What's going on, guys?" Nellie said from the door way. We turned around and she gasped.

"What's the matter?" Nellie asked frantically, rushing over to us. "Who died?" She asked. Boy, was _that_ the wrong thing to say. Natalie collapsed onto my shoulder again. Nellie shot me a panicked look that basically said _"What did I say?" _I handed her the letter with my free arm.

I watched her as she read. Her hand flew up to her mouth several times and I saw her eyes grow moist. This must've really touched her because Nellie hardly cries…ever. As soon as she finished reading, the letter fluttered to the ground. She ran over to us and gave Natalie a big hug.

"Oh Natalie!" Nellie cried and surprisingly, Natalie didn't pull back from the hug. I could almost hear Dan's voice in my head. _Whoa, what's with the big sob fest? _Eventually, Nellie let go of Natalie.

"Maybe you guys should get some rest. It's going to be a long day tomorrow." Nellie suggested. The Clue Hunt! I forgot all about it! What about Natalie though?

"Amy, may I speak to you…privately?" Nellie asked and I nodded again. I got up and followed her out of the room. We walked out of earshot.

"What are we going to do about Natalie?" I whispered just in case.

"I'm not sure. This could totally be a trick." Nellie whispered back.

"Yea, I think we've already figured that out already." I said.

"So what are we going to do?" She asked.

"Maybe we should search the house for listening bugs and devices of that kind of thing. Even if we don't find anything, we still have to keep an eye on her." I said and Nellie nodded, already looking for bugs.

"What about searching for the clue?" Nellie asked and I looked outside the door for extra safety.

"I don't have any ideas, you?" I asked.

"I guess we'll just have to let her come along then." Nellie said and I nodded. We were about to go back to where Natalie was but Nellie turned to me.

"You trust her don't you?" She asked.

"Nobody's that good of an actor."I said. And with that I left the room. I walked down the hallway and I heard Nellie's footsteps behind me. I stopped at the room that Natalie was in. I poked my head in the doorway and smiled. Nellie saw the scene and she did the same.

Natalie was curled up on the small sofa, holding a pillow to her chest. She seemed so much younger than I had ever seen her. Instead of the twelve year old she was, she looked like a good four years younger. Her hair was tangled and her clothes were wrinkled. I laughed silently at the thought of how she would have reacted to this scene a couple years back.

Suddenly I yawned and rubbed my eyes. Nellie rested her hand on my shoulder.

"Go get some sleep, kiddo. It's been a tough week." Spoken like a true guardian. I yawned again and made my way to the stairs. As soon as I got to my room, I flung myself onto my bed, clothes on and everything.

I rolled over and looked up at the ceiling. So many thoughts swarmed throughout my head. Most I just pushed away but some others took up more space. I closed my eyes trying to find sleep, but no luck. Sighing in frustration, I grabbed my lap top of my bed side table and turned it on.

While it was warming up, I drummed my fingers against the keyboard. What was I so anxious to see? Even _I _couldn't answer that question. When my computer finally got to the home screen, I clicked on the internet symbol. I went to the top of the screen and put my cursor on the search bar. It blinked as if to say, _"What are you going to search? I'm waiting!" _

I rubbed my eyes again. Maybe sleep would be a good thing. Ah, too late now. I looked at the search bar and I blinked. Suddenly I realized what I wanted to see. I clicked on the search bar and typed in _his _name. Hundreds of images filled the screen. I clicked on one.

Ian was standing with his family. Isabel was at his left and Vikram was at his left. Natalie stood in front of Ian, posing for the camera. I smiled sadly at the picture.

Things would never go back to normal now would they?

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><p><strong>AN: OH MY GOSH! I finally got that chapter done! Phew, man that took forever! Anyways, I'm truly sorry if this chapter was boring blah blah blah but more excitement is to come! I promise! **

**Back to the point, well not really, I just wanted to say thanks for all your concern about the celiac thing! I had no intention to make it sound like I was asking for sympathy or pity. I just had to get it out somewhere ;) **

**Anyways! I'm feeling much better :) Good news right? :D **

**~Nataliya (Luvlessgrl, just in case you were confused)**

**P.S. And for Gleekout101…dang you had a lot goin on! :) But I am truly sorry for what happened to you. Nobody deserved to go through that. **

**P.P.S I don't want to leave this on a depressing note so…**

**EVIL CUCUMBERS FROM MICHAEL JACKSON'S ATTIC ARE HERE TO EAT YOUR GRANDFATHER'S PANTYHOSE! **

…**Jeez, I really need some aspirin…**

**~Nataliya **


	16. Chapter 16

**DISCLAIMER****: I do not own anything ****I really want to draw an arrow to that right now. Ok, I am sorry for the shortness of the story. Gosh, I am just really boring right now so…LET'S PUMP UP SOME JAMS! *shakes head***

**Too many pixie sticks, Nataliya, too many…**

**Anyways, I would like to answer some questions that I have been getting in reviews…here we go! :)**

**The Girl of the Moon:** Sorry, you'll just have to wait :)

**Wink11: **Sorry, I can't answer that either. You'll just have to read.

**Volcanic Lily: **Same as the two above it. ;)

**I feel much better that I answered all your questions! :) **

**Wow, I am THAT good aren't I?**

**Now…**

**ON WITH THE STORY! **

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><p>Chapter 16<p>

I was sleeping peacefully until a big wad of annoying woke me up.

"Amy, AMY! WAKE UP!" Dan yelled jumping on my bed. I turned over until my face was flat on the pillow.

"Mmmph!" I said through the pillow. It meant something in the range of_ "Really Dan!_ _It's eight o'clock in the morning, so leave me alone!"_

"No Amy!" He whined, "You have to get up! I figured out the clue!" That got me up.

"I'm awake." I said, rubbing my eyes.

"Super," He imitated his old math teacher and I rolled my eyes. "Ok, so the letters are scrambled." He said and gave me a minute to figure it out.

_Thanse, Hanset, Ehnats, Thanse, Hanset, Ehnats…_My eyebrows scrunched together in thought. It has to do with Socrates…so um…I pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration. I looked up at Dan and he was grinning as if to say _"Ha-ha, who's the smart one now?" _

Then suddenly it hit me.

"Athens!" I cried, beaming. "It makes sense now! That's where Socrates was born! Dan you're a genius!" He raised an eyebrow.

"Um, I only figured out the letter's order…" He gave me a sheepish smile. I ruffled his hair and practically skipped into the small kitchen in our rather large hotel suite. Nellie was already making her famous waffles and Natalie was sitting at the table. Nellie caught a sight at us and laughed.

"Wow, either you guys just won the lottery or you figured out where we are supposed to go." We both nodded, beaming. I started to dance around the kitchen and Dan joined me. We were in the middle of a scary tango when Natalie spoke up.

"Um, what exactly are you doing?" We both froze. I looked at Natalie.

"Aren't you happy?" I asked.

"Yes, but Mum always said to-" She cut herself off and smiled. "I am happy." I returned her smile. Natalie was finally letting go of her dependence on her mother. Nellie set a plate of waffles in front of her.

"Bon Appétit," Nellie said, gesturing to the waffles. Natalie looked up at her, confused.

"This is food, right?" Natalie asked. Before Nellie could say anything, I spoke up.

"Yea they are food. You've never heard of waffles?" I asked. It reminded me of when Ian didn't know what popcorn was. I smiled sadly at the memory. It seemed so long ago. Natalie's voice brought me back to Earth.

"No." She said. Nellie set two more plates down for Dan and I. Dan immediately dug in.

"Wow, youf miffed out." He said with a mouthful of waffles. I rolled my eyes and Natalie looked out right disgusted by his manners, but then again…what manners?

"At least _somebody _knows what waffles are…" I heard Nellie grumble to herself. I smiled. This was how things used to be. Well, there didn't use to be a little British girl at our breakfast table, but you get the point.

Natalie took a glance at her plate. I could tell she was deciding to taste the waffles or not. She hesitantly picked up her fork then set it back down.

"They don't bite, Natalie." I teased and she gave a small smile. She picked up her fork and cut a piece out of the waffle. Her eyes moved to the ceiling and it looked like she was praying. Dan rolled his eyes.

"Eat the stinkin waffle already!" Dan exclaimed. Natalie glared at him, but put the piece of waffle into her mouth. Dan and I leaned forward, waiting for her reaction. She chewed slowly and even Nellie stopped to wait. She gulped down the waffle and grinned.

"This is brilliant! I can't believe I've never eaten one!" She cried, eating more of the waffle. We all leaned back in our chairs, relieved. Nellie looked pleased of herself and turned back to the waffle-maker.

"Told ya," I heard her mutter.

***page break***

I was packing up my clothes when suddenly I heard a scream. I noticed that the noise came from Natalie's room, so I ran towards her room. When I got to her room I breathed a sigh of relief. Natalie was still there and alive.

"What's the matter?" Nellie ran to where I was, carrying a frying pan. Soon Dan was there to, but instead of a pan he had a fake pair of nun chucks. I turned to Natalie. She was on the floor in a heap.

"What's the matter?" I asked, walking over to her.

"I-I don't have any clothes."

I almost rolled my eyes. I'm sure Nellie and Dan did though. I knelt down to Natalie and brushed her hair out of her face.

"Natalie," I started in a stern tone. Natalie looked up at me with big, sad doe eyes and I sighed. Suddenly, the sternness in my voice vanished. "You can buy some clothes when we get out of the airport." I said, giving in.

"Yea!" Natalie cried, throwing her arms around me. I was pretty surprised, but managed to hug her back.

I heard Dan smack his head behind me. I turned around to see him stalk out the room. I swear, I could also hear him mumbling something like, "Stupid Natalie, sure you can have all the clothes you want! But when I ask for the new Ninja Gaiden game it's always NO Dan! You're too childish for those silly games!"

I laughed quietly to myself and stored that in the back of my brain. Who knows? Maybe I will want him to do something for me sometime. I turned my attention back to Natalie where she was looking at me, confused.

"What?" I asked.

"You were mumbling to yourself." She said and I paused.

"Yea, that happens a lot around here. Get used to it."

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><p><strong>AN: ALRIGHTY, so that was chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15…16! Wo****w, I still have like twelve more chapters…sigh :) NO, I AM NOT GIVING ANYTHING AWAY! YOU'LL JUST HAVE TO WAIT AND READ LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE! **

**~Nataliya**


	17. Chapter 17

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything yada, yada, yada…**

**Dang, chapter 17 already? **

**Wow, I'm good…**

**Oh and please read the author note at the bottom of this chapter****! Thanks! I love you guys! **

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><p>Chapter 17<p>

We were all ready to go out to catch our flight…except Dan. I continuously rolled my eyes as he ran around the hotel room yelling "Where is it! Oh come on, it was here a second ago!"

Nellie, Natalie, and I were waiting for him at the front door with our suitcases. I saw him whizz past me and into his room.

C'mon! Where the heck is my flippin Game Boy?" I heard him yell. Next to me, Nellie sighed.

"I should go help him." Nellie said, walking towards his panicking voice. I looked over at Natalie expectantly.

"What?" She asked.

"Maybe you should go help too?" I suggested and her eyes widened.

"What?" She asked again, but in a much smaller voice.

"Help…" I said slowly as if I was teaching a kindergartener. I went and picked up something of Dan's.

"See?" I put the toy in her hands. She glared at me.

"Helping sucks…" I heard her mutter as she stalked out of the room.

It was weird how proper that sounded with her accent. I shook my head and starting picking up the random objects around the room that Dan left behind. They would range from collecting cards and pictures of guns and explosions. _How could he have stored all this in a suitcase? _I asked myself. Suddenly, a scream tore me out of my thoughts.

I ran to Dan's room and guess who it was? Not Dan, but Natalie…again. She was doing some sort of weird dance and I raised an eyebrow. She looked at me and threw up her arms.

"Help me!" She cried and continued that weird dance of hers.

"Um, what exactly am I supposed to help you with?" I asked, eyeing her.

"My foot is stuck! Now help me!" She yelled at me. I walked over to her and she picked up her foot. Underneath her sole was a big wad of bubble gum. I shrunk back from the gross candy. It looked really old.

"Dan!" I shouted behind me. I heard footsteps and I saw my dweebish brother standing in the doorway.

"Yes?" He said, holding his Game Boy.

"What is this?" I gestured to the gum. Suddenly, a huge grin broke out on his face.

"So that's where that went!" He said, laughing.

"Help me peasant before I tear your ugly hair off your idiot head!" Natalie shouted at him. I took that as a signal to leave the room. Laughing quietly, I walked toward the front door to check if any of the hotel neighbors heard the noise.

I poked my head out the door and looked up and down the hallway. I breathed a sigh of relief. There were no angry people. That's a good sign, I guess. I was about to close the door, but a letter on the floor caught my eye. I was secretly hoping it was from Ian, saying he was alive and would come back from us. But that was my less rational part of my brain.

That could never happen. Ian was dead, period. I wiped my eyes and picked up the letter. It was in a fancy envelope with a big, elegant K on the front. It couldn't be…

I slowly opened the letter and let the envelope fall to the floor. I scanned over the words and I muffled a gasp in my shirt.

_Dearest Amy, _

_I've missed you so much. It's been days since I've seen you last. I want you to meet me at the Lucian stronghold where we…encountered last, so I can see you again. Come as soon as you can. Do not tell anyone else about this letter. It's just between you and me alright? Come alone and if I see you come with others…well you'll have to see. A loved one might depend on it. _

_~Isabel Kabra_

_P.S. Oh and Amy? Ian wants to see you again._

I let the letter flutter to the ground and put my head in my hands. Shock just poured over me. Ian wants to see you again? Ian was alive? I couldn't grasp the thought and I went right back into shock.

When I got my senses back, questions swam around my brain. I pushed the Ian ones away. I knew I would have to go but…how? I checked my watch.

There was about two hours until our flight would take off.

I took a deep breath to calm myself. It didn't really work, but whatever. How was I going to go back to South America? And more importantly, without Nellie knowing? I grabbed a pencil and wrote down the options on a stray piece of paper.

**One: Ignore Isabel and keep Clue hunting. **

**Two: Tell Nellie about the letter, but not let her come.**

**Three: Don't tell anyone and find some way to get money and a flight to Margarita Island without adult assistance. **

See, the thing about option number two was that Nellie would come no matter what. She would probably bring Natalie and Dan along too which could put them in danger. I crossed number two off. Number one was optional, I guess. But what about Ian and this "loved one?" I crossed that one off too. That only left option three.

I clutched my head. It was just too much. I would never make it to South America without Nellie! Suddenly, it was like a light shone upon my questions. There on the counter sat Nellie's wallet. I started to walk towards it but then stopped myself. What in the world was I doing?

I shook my head and started pacing._ OK you can do this Amy._

I kept telling myself that but I never took one step closer to the wallet.

_Just ask Nellie if you can buy some food downstairs. Take a little more than you need and make a break for it. _Whoa, where was this deviousness coming from? I kind of liked it.

"Nellie!" I shouted, listening to the voice inside my head.

"Whatcha need kiddo?" She shouted back at me.

"Can I grab a snack downstairs?" I asked.

Was the room hot or is it just me? I fanned myself and waited for an answer. My insides churned as she took time to answer. _What if she knew what I was doing? _I silently panicked.

"Yea sure! My wallet's on the counter! Be back in ten minutes ok?" I almost fainted in relief.

"Thanks Nellie!" I managed to get out. I prayed that she let me go.

The only thing was…

It would take longer than ten minutes.

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><p><strong>AN: WOW! TWO CHAPTERS IN ONE DAY! WHOA! I am so excited! *brushes off clothes*Sorry, but I have to get to the point.**

**Ok, so I had this idea yesterday…**

**I know what you might say. "Oh no! She's thinking again!" **

**You might be correct, but hear me out. **

**You know how someone wants to get some news out? Something like…**

"**Hey! I'm a beta now!" **

**Or**

"**Hey! I want more people to read my story!"**

**Or**

"**Hey! I want to promote this group!" **

**So I was thinking maybe I could organize a…well organization called The Messengers. These chosen authors try to spread information to other people. You get what I'm saying? If you're interested please let me know and I'll give you the details! Or if you think this is bloody stupid then…um tell me politely please! **

**Thank you guys so much for pushing that review/favorite/alert button! I love you all! Even my haters! Here's a hug! Especially people who hate my writing! Here's a big ole hug!**

**~Nataliya **

**P.S. Please let me know what you think of The Messengers idea! **


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

I was walking down the stairs of the hotel, trying not to attract attention.

The four hundred dollars burned in my back pocket. I don't know how or why, but Nellie was loaded. Maybe all that Au Pair money was just building up or something. I pulled my suitcase behind me as I raced towards the hotel's front door. You remember the trying not to draw attention thing?

It wasn't really working well.

But it didn't matter. I just had to get out of the hotel without Nellie figuring out what I was doing. I was walking so fast I almost hit the door.

"Thank you!" I shouted to the doorman, as I rushed outside and waved for a taxi.

One pulled up and the driver looked disapprovingly at me.

"Only you?" He asked, eyeing me suspiciously.

"Yes! I h-have to get to my parents! They're at the airport now. Hurry, please!" I threw some money at him and he immediately sped off. Most of the drive, it was silent except the questions he asked me. Most of them I just lied to. He was nice over all though.

"Were here," He said and popped the trunk.

"Thanks!" I called after me and dashed to get my luggage.

"Good luck, Amelia!" I heard him shout as I ran inside the airport. Suddenly, my pocket buzzed. I took my phone out and looked at the caller ID. I sighed, Nellie would have to wait. It took all the strength I had to push that little ignore button. I shook my head and dashed towards my gate.

***page break***

Waiting was the worst part.

My phone rang a total of seven times and every single time…I didn't answer. Finally, the flight attendant called our flight number and I grabbed my suitcase, which I was able to pack without Nellie knowing.

"Where are your parents?" The attendant asked me. I mentally cursed and used all my Dan power that I could muster.

"They already went in the plane and I had to grab my phone." I lied and the attendant nodded and let me in the plane.

I breathed a huge sigh of relief and looked at my phone out of a habit that I just developed, another missed call. I sighed again and stuffed my phone in the pocket of my jacket. I glanced down at my ticket and found a seat. Luckily, I had only one person next to me, so I got to stretch out a bit.

"So how old are you?" The girl next to me asked and I turned to look at her. I sadly noticed she had a British accent. It reminded me of Natalie. The girl had long red hair with bright blue eyes. She was wearing a white over-the-shoulder sweater and dark skinny jeans.

"Fifteen, how about you?" I asked, guessing about thirteen maybe fourteen.

"Thirteen, I'm here with my class." She said, pointing her thumb backwards. I looked to see where she was pointing to. There were a bunch of kids her age and one adult, who looked bored out of her mind.

"Cool, what's your name?" I surprised myself. I'm usually not this chatty.

"Catherine," She responded and stuck out her hand.

"Amy," I told her and shook her hand. Suddenly, her eyes narrowed. I gulped and tried to not let my hands sweat. What could she have possibly noticed?

"You look really familiar, have we ever met before?" Catherine asked, still staring at me. I was starting to get uncomfortable.

"N-No," I stuttered under her gaze. She seemed to give up and shrugged.

"Probably a Cahill of some sort," I heard her mutter and I barely restrained a gasp.

She was a Cahill! I immediately tried to figure out her branch. I knew she wasn't a Madrigal. There just wasn't that Madrigal…feeling there. Janus? No that-

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Catherine asked, raising an eyebrow. I decided to just ask her.

"What branch are you in?" I whispered, just in case. Her eyes widened in surprise but she managed to keep a calm demeanor.

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Catherine crossed her arms defiantly.

"I know you're a Cahill, now what's your branch?" I asked again and she sighed. She opened her mouth but I cut her off. "Tomas?" I asked and she drew back.

"No! I would never be one of those ignorant, repulsive…their…their…why would you think that?" Catherine sputtered in disgust.

"Ekat?" I tried again and she just cocked an eyebrow. Suddenly, it clicked.

"Lucian!" I realized and Catherine smirked. _What a Lucian…_I thought.

"Great job! Now it's my turn." She looked me up and down. "Obviously, not an Ekat," She teased. "Not a Tomas," She continued. "_Definitely _not a Lucian," I didn't know whether to take that as a compliment or not. "Maybe Janus or…" Her eyes narrowed as she came to one conclusion.

"Madrigal," She hissed and I swallowed, nervously. A fight with an angry Lucian was a fight I would never be in.

"Yes," I admitted and all of a sudden she smiled. I was taken aback by the sudden change of emotions.

"Great! I've never met a Madrigal." Catherine said and laughed at my surprised face. "Oh you're wondering why I was angry then nice? Well, it's part of my Lucian- never mind!" She said quickly and cursed under her breath.

"Oh ok, so um when do you discover you were a Cahill?" I asked, trying to start a conversation.

"I learned the Cahill story before I walked." She said with a wave of her hand. I guess the learning-the-Cahill-story thing was a Lucian thing.

***page break***

I grabbed my bag from under my seat and stood up and stretched.

"It's been a pleasure, Amy." Catherine said, formally. The rest of the flight had been a breeze. She would ask me questions and I would ask her questions. I was so glad I wasn't shy anymore. It was fun meeting new people! Catherine got my mind off why I was on the plane. She was nice, unlike most Lucians, but still had the Lucian aura around her.

"Yea, maybe we'll run into each other sometime!" I said and waved as I got off the plane. No more messing around, I had to get to-

"Oomph!" I fell to the floor with a thump. I rubbed my ankle and looked at the person that ran into me. There was a man in front of me, struggling to grab sunglasses off the floor. I took the time to notice his nice clothing and hair.

He stood up and brushed off his clothes. He looked at me and immediately looked away. For some reason I held up my hand for him to pull me up. He took it hesitantly and helped me up, gently. Suddenly, his sunglasses slipped from his head and tumbled to the floor. I picked them up and turned to give them to him.

Then I realized what color eyes I was staring into. Familiar amber eyes looked back at me. I took a step back as I grasped who it was.

"I-Ian?"

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><p><strong>AN: Yes I **_**did **_**just leave it right there, so I might as well say it…LEDGIE! Alright, I know I didn't update in a while and I'm sorry. Wow that was lame. Anyways! I hope you liked the new chapter, so tell me what you thought! Thanks!**

**~Nataliya**

**Ok, that was too much of a normal author note. I have to put some Nataliya spin on it. Um…wow I'm all out of ideas…NOT! :D There's the smiley face! By the way, the Catherine character was totally made up but reminds me of a certain someone…*cough me cough* what? I didn't say anything, jeez! **


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: Everything mentioned in this totally unreal, fiction, made-up story is completely and utterly not mine. That includes the 39 clues.**

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><p>Chapter 19<p>

I couldn't believe it. Now _that _was the understatement of the century. Right in front of me stood the one and only…Ian Kabra. May I also add that he was supposedly "dead?" But apparently my eyes tell me differently.

"Really Amy, I can explain." Ian pleaded. I never realized how much I missed his voice, but that got pushed aside as my anger exploded.

"_How could you? Do you know how much pain you put me through? How about Natalie? Or do you even remember her? She's the sister that you left behind!" _I yelled at him. How could he pretend to leave us like that? He walked up to me and hugged me tightly. I squirmed out of his arms and fought the urge to cry.

"How could you?" I asked again, but this time in a softer tone.

"Amy, please let me explain." He said, gently. I took a step away from him, wiped my eyes, and crossed my arms.

"Fine, explain then." I commanded and he ran his hand through his hair.

I noticed we had people stop to look at us. He noticed too and we both nodded. We had to go somewhere more private. Suddenly, a familiar voice spoke up.

"Well, well, well…Ian Kabra," It wasn't Isabel, but…Catherine?

"Catherine?" I asked, bewildered. Catherine looked at me and raised an eyebrow.

"Amy? How do you know Ian?" I opened my mouth to reply, but she cut me off. "Never mind," She started with a wave of her hand. "More importantly, why is the allegedly 'dead' Ian Kabra, standing in front me? It seems quite odd."

The English-speaking people gasped as they realized what she was talking about. Ian glared at Catherine and she returned his stare. Seriously, the Lucians need better greetings.

"Catherine, stay out of this." Ian growled.

"Now why should I do what you tell me to?" Catherine challenged. I looked back in forth between them.

"Not another word, Catherine Elizabeth May." Catherine flushed with anger as he used her full name.

"You can't treat me like a little girl anymore!" She shouted at him. Now an even bigger crowd had gathered.

"I treat people how they act." Ian said stiffly. Catherine lunged, but I caught her by her waist in midair.

"Let go!" She shrieked. "I want to get a piece of this traitor!"

"I am not a traitor, I can reassure you." Ian said without any emotion in his voice.

"Oh, did I hear you correctly? Did you say that you are not a traitor? Then what do you call a person who deserts his branch in a time of need, with no warning at all?" Catherine tone picked up at the end of her rant. He left his branch? Where on Earth did he go then?

"Ian, where did you go?" I placed my hands on my hips and tried my hardest to not let my voice wobble.

"Yes Ian, where _did_ you go?"Catherine asked, mimicking my position. Ian looked at both of us.

"Go back to your class, Catherine." Ian said, looking behind us. Catherine looked behind us and realized her class was leaving.

"This is not over Ian." She said, menacingly and rushed off to join her classmates. The crowd around us was now diminishing and I looked at him

"So much for finding a private place," Ian said, unfazed by Catherine's threat. I glared at him, not saying anything. "Let's go, I will explain later." He said and started to walk towards the exit. I didn't move a muscle.

"Let's go." He tried and again, I didn't move.

"What makes you think I'm going with you?" I questioned and turned away from him.

"Where are you going to go?" Ian asked and I stopped walking.

"Back to Nellie, Dan, _and _Natalie," I said, coldly.

"And how are you going to get there?" He asked.

"What is this, twenty questions? What do you think? Do you even know where we are right now?" Really, was he that stupid? He held up one finger.

"One more question," He started and I sighed.

"What is it now?" I asked, exasperated.

"Do you have enough money to get there?"

I stopped. He had me there. I sighed again and walked up to him. He grinned triumphantly.

"Glad you could join me." He smiled and I crossed my arms.

"Yea, whatever…" I grumbled.

*****************page break*******************

As soon as we got inside the hotel room, I turned on him.

"I guess I have to tell you now." Ian said and sat down on the couch. He patted the spot next to him and I sat down.

"What do you want to know?" He asked and my mouth dropped open. "Love, you'll catch flies like that." He said and closed my mouth for me.

"_What do you think I would want to know?"_ I raged.

"Quiet down and I'll answer your questions." He said calmly. I probably looked like I was going to explode with anger. I took a deep breath and cooled myself.

"Fine, I'll do it your way. How did you fake your death?" I asked and he looked surprised.

"Oh, weird you would start off with that. Anyways, I had collected my blood for a month or so, until it had been enough to fake my death. Then, you know the rest." I wrinkled my nose in disgust.

"Why would you do that?" I asked.

"See, I had to go on a top secret mission for the Lucians and disappearing was the only way to put the plan into action."

"Can you tell me the plan?"

"Nope,"

"Oh," I was kind of bummed out by the information. "So the Lucians were more important than your sister?" I could tell this question bothered him a bit.

"Of course not! It was just necessary-"

"-to leave your sister, crying every night for you to return. You don't know how much you hurt her, Ian." I finished for him and he stood up.

"I do know! Do you not think I care about Natalie?" He shouted at me. The stress was getting to both of us.

"Oh really? Tell that to _her_!" I yelled right back at him.

"_Why do you think I am such a cold, evil person?"_

"_Hmm, why would I ever think that?" _

Before I could do anything, he slapped me straight across the face. My head cracked to the right and I'm sure I had a bright red hand print on my face. I held my cheek and looked up at him, tears filling my eyes. He put his hands over his mouth in shock.

"G-g-get away f-from me!" I yelled, running to the other side of the room.

"Amy, it was an accident! I didn't mean to!" He cried.

"Then why did y-you d-do it?" I whimpered.

"My anger got control of me and I'm sorry." He said and I made my way toward the door. I opened it and stepped outside.

"Well, tell it to your doctor." I hissed and closed the door.

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><p><strong>AN: I know Amy is OOC, but deal with it! I know you guys must hate me for making Ian slap Amy, but I have a special surprise for next chapter, so keep reading! I hope you enjoyed the new chapter! If anyone has any questions or is confused, PM me and I'll be glad to clear it up! :)**

**~Nataliya **

**P.S. I will update a new chapter soon! I have some ideas that I think some of you might enjoy ;) **


	20. Chapter 20

**DISCLAIMER: **

**Me: Alright kids! You know what time it is!**

**Random little children: Disclaimer time! Disclaimer time! **

**Me: Good! I do not own anything.**

**Children: Yay! *applause* **

**Me: Oh and please ignore the weird spacing :)**

* * *

><p>I ran down the hallway with tears streaming down my face.<p>

"Amy!" Ian kept calling my name over and over again.

What did he think I would do? Go back up to him and have _me _apologize? If he did, it was safe to say that he has had absolutely no common sense whatsoever. Suddenly, I was spun around.

"Do you need s-something?" I tried to put as much sarcasm into my voice as I could possibly manage. When he paused, I turned back around and walked away from him.

"Amy, wait!" He called again. I was twirled around as he grabbed me by my wrist. "Please let me say something."I avoided his eyes.

"I think y-you've said enough," I told him, hoping that my stutter didn't affect the harshness in my tone.

"You're right." He inched a little closer. "I have said too much." He leaned in and my breath hitched in my throat. I made a quick decision and pushed him away.

"You are unbelievable!" I shouted at him and sprinted away from where he was standing.

I heard him groan and run after me. I ran down the steps and into the lobby of the hotel. Luckily, there weren't a lot of people around. I darted past a custodian's closet and skidded to a stop. I flung the closet door open and slipped inside.

"Oh Amy, you can't hide from me forever." Ian said from outside. I held my breath and as his voice echoed through the locked the door.

I waited for awhile until the the sound of his footsteps faded. I slowly unlocked and opened the door. I inched the door open and looked up and down the hallway, praying that he wasn't waiting for me. Perfect. No one was here. I got fully out of the closet and started to walk down the hallway. All of a sudden, strong arms grabbed me from behind.

"No one tricks a Lucian." Ian whispered in my ear. I cursed under my breath and tried to get free for of his grasp…no luck. He was just too strong. He dragged me down the hallway and stood in front of my recently vacated hiding place.

"Get in," He commanded, pointing to the old door. I glared defiantly at him. He pulled me in and closed the door behind us."I have to talk to you." Ian said and I remained silent. "The silent treatment, eh?" He pinned my gaze with his amber orbs. "It hardly matters, seeing as that I'll be the one doing the talking." I glared at him, but kept my mouth shut. "Look, I am terribly sorry and I had no intention to of hitting you. I just …reacted badly. I simply got too caught up in the moment. It's not my fault that I was raised like that."He explained.

"S-so it wasn't your fault that you slapped me." I repeated with an eyebrow raised. Well, there goes my effort of giving him the silent treatment.

"No! I just-" Ian pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. "I'm not trying to excuse my behavior. You've misunderstood me." He let out a sigh of frustration. "You're making this very complicated." I took a step back.

"Well then, if I'm the one that's making this _oh_ _so very _complicated, why don't I just leave now?" I asked and his eyebrows furrowed.

"No, you can't because I want to say something first." He said.

"Can you get to it then?" I asked impatiently. "These cleaning supplies are giving me a headache." That was actually true. We were surrounded by a myriad of mops and chemicals.

"I'll try to make this quick." He put his hand on his chin as he thought. He stayed quiet for awhile, so much so that I was wondering if I could die and be reborn a hundred times before any sound would escape his mouth.

I decided to break the silence."Are you going to say something or not?" I asked, a slight scowl visible on my face.

"Maybe…, I'm not particularly sure." He said with a small smile. I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Then let me out!" I demanded.

"And let you escape? I don't think so." Ian blocked the doorway and I tried to push past him, but to no avail. Let's just say that I wasn't as strong as he was.

"Seriously, what's the point of you keeping me in here?" I asked in defeat.

"You see, I _was_ going to tell you something, but I guess it slipped my mind." He told me before directing his gaze to the top of my head. "Amy?"

"W-what?" I brushed the top of my head, thinking that there was something on it.

"Who said something was on your head?" He asked, innocently, and I hit him on the shoulder. "Ouch!" He cried and pretended to be hurt.

"That's what you get for slapping me," I said and his usual smirk dropped off his face.

"I am very sorry for that." He apologized.

"What else are you sorry for?"

"For yelling at you," He added.

"_And_?"

"Pretending to be dead," He said, and I paused.

"And?" I whispered, hoping he wouldn't hear. Unfortunately, fate seems to have something against me.

"I'm sorry for the South Korea, Australia, Venice, and for every other time that I tried to harm you." Darn, he _had_ heard me. Then, his face got dangerously close. "Do you remember the letter that I wrote?" He breathed. I nodded, my face slowly heating up. "Well-"

Light flooded the small closet that we were in. I shielded my eyes from the harsh light.

"What the-?" The janitor took a step back, surprised. I stood there like a deer in headlights until I was able to get my mouth to move.

"Sorry!" I squeaked and ran past him.

I kept running, not caring if Ian was behind me or not. I finally got to our hotel room. I looked behind me. Ian was nowhere in sight. Unfortunately, the door was locked and I didn't have a key.

'Great,' I thought bitterly. This meant that I had to sit there and wait for him. After a little while, Ian strode up to where I was sitting on the floor.

"What took you so long?" I snapped, standing up. He didn't answer, instead he held out a cup.

"Tea?" He offered casually and I stared at him incredulously before I took a drink.

"Where on earth did you manage to get tea?" I asked and took a small sip. I had never been a fan of tea, but this was pretty darn good.

"I have my resources." He said simply and smiled at me. "So, what do you think?"

"It's actually really delicious. What is it?" I was truly curious.

"Siberian Ginseng," I noticed that he too had a cup.

"So…" I looked at the door, trying to give him a hint.

"Oh, yes. How terribly forgetful of me." He took out his room key and unlocked the door.

For some reason, I was expecting the room to be vandalized with spray paint. Maybe I had been playing too many of Dan's video games…

"_Dan!" _I cried, remembering. Everything came back to me. I rushed around the hotel room, searching frantically for my phone. _"Where is it?"_ I ran around for a little bit like a headless chicken until I noticed Ian…just standing there! I turned on him. "Aren't you going to help me?" I shouted at him, going into panic overload.

He pulled out his phone from his pocket and tossed it to me. That butthead. Being the _graceful_ girl that I was, I dropped the phone as soon as it came into contact with me. I didn't have time even bother to glare at him before I pounced on the phone. I dialed Nellie's number as fast as my fingers would let me. I put the phone to my ear and drummed my fingers against my leg.

"Hello?" I missed her voice so much. I ran and locked myself in the bathroom.

"Nellie, is that really you?" I gushed, unable to contain my happiness.

"_Amy? Where the heck did you go? Do you even know how worried Dan and I were? We found Isabel's letter on the table and we were about to come and get you! How could you not tell us about it? Do you think you could get away with stealing money from me? What happened to you, Amy?" _She yelled at me through the phone. Ouch…

"Isabel's letter?" I paused, trying to remember. What was she talking- oh Crap! How could I forget why I was here in the first place? "Oh Nellie! I'm so sorry! It's just that Isabel's letter got me to come led me to Venezuela and then I ran into a really nice, but kind of girl who was also kind of scary on the plane. Then, after I got off the plane I ran into Ian and I was all like '_wait, what_?' Then I didn't have anywhere to stay and I didn't have enough money, so Ian kind of persuaded me to stay with him, but don't worry! I'm perfectly fine!" I took a breath and realized that to Nellie, my little speech probably made no sense.

"Amy, I can't hear you that well. You know what? Just tell me when we get there. Dan and I will be there in a couple of hours."

"Ok." I hung up the phone and opened the door.

"If I remember correctly, I did not _persuade _you to stay here." Ian leaned against the wall outside the bathroom.

"You were _eavesdropping_? I asked.

"Call it what you want to." He smirked and I rolled my eyes. "Oh, and by the way, I found your phone." He wound his arm back raised his arm, getting ready to throw it to me.

"Don't you dare toss it to me," I warned. He chuckled, unfazed by my threat and handed the phone to me."Thank you." I said and went to go pack my bag. When I got in my room, I couldn't help but smile.

I would be back with Dan and Nellie soon.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: *Applause* Wow, that was chapter 20! DJ, cue the celebration music! **

***Dance around a bit :)***

**Alright, it's time to get down to business. You might have realized that my writing didn't sound like…well… my writing. That is because…**

**Drum roll please!**

**I got a beta! **

**Yes, the rumors are true. Nataliya has gotten herself a beta. A wonderful beta to be exact. So this chapter's revisions and add-ons belong to…**

**The one and only purplephantasms! **

**Thanks again for all the hard work. :) I'll try to send the next chapter to you soon! **

**And to all you readers out there, I hope you enjoyed the newest addition! **

**~Nataliya **


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: **

**Me: Hola, la berenjena!**

**Amy: Um, that means eggplant. **

**Me: Shut up! You're so mean to me, jeez! *runs off***

**Amy: Dramatic, much?**

**Random Post Office Guy: No**

**Amy: Uh…?**

**Random Post Office Guy: Here I've got a package for…Nataliya?**

**Amy: I'll take that.**

**Random Post Office Guy: Ok, sign here.**

**Amy: *signs* There you go!**

**Random Post Office Guy: Thanks! *leaves***

**Amy: Hm, now what does this say? *pulls out envelope ***

**Random plant: So, what does it say?**

**Amy: *ignores random plant that is somehow talking* Luvlessgrl does not own anything. **

**Me: You got that right! **

**Amy: I'm not sure how to respond to this…**

**Me: Well don't, we've almost used up a whole page.**

**Amy: Pizza!**

**Me: You know I can't eat pizza.**

**Amy: No…pizza!**

**Me: Yes, I think we've covered that you want pizza.**

**Amy: No, look pizza! **

**Me: LOOK, LADY! I DON'T WANT ANY BLOODY PIZZA! I ALREADY TOLD YOU…*gets knocked out by flying pizza***

**Amy: Don't say I didn't warn her. **

**Oh! Read the Author's Note below! Now, onto the story!**

* * *

><p>I looked at my fully-packed bag and flopped on the bed, exhausted. Suddenly, my phone vibrated on my stomach, causing me to fall off the bed in surprise. Once I got back on my feet, I answered my phone.<p>

"Hello?" I asked.

"Hey, Ames, it's Nellie. We're running a little late, so we'll be there in a couple of hours." Nellie said. I noticed that her tone was slightly less angry than before. I guess that was a good sign.

"Alright. Cool." An awkward silence hung in the air.

"I'm sorry about exploding earlier. It's just that I'm stressed with the whole clue hunt thing and—"

I cut her off. "It's okay, Nellie. I think we're all stressed."

"Thanks, Amy, see you soon."

"Nellie?"

"Hm?"

"I have a surprise for all of you." I told her. I bet my 'surprise' was probably listening to our conversation at this very moment.

"Can't wait," She said and hung up. I looked down at my phone and sighed. It felt like a big weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

"Amy?" Ian opened the door.

"Yea?" I asked.

"Here, I brought you some more tea." He said, walking over to me and handing me a cup. I didn't hesitate to let the warm drink fill my mouth.

"Mmm. Thanks," I said with my eyes closed, savoring the tea. All of a sudden, I felt incredibly drowsy and yawned. I put my cup on the bedside table.

"Have some more," Ian commanded and I shook my head.

"I'm not thirsty." I told him, yawning again.

"I insist." He pushed the small cup back into my hands. I didn't have enough energy to argue. Once I drank all of the tea, I could feel my eyelids droop. "Sweet dreams," Ian said and I slipped into unconsciousness.

***page break***

"Amy…Amy!" My eyelids fluttered open and before me stood a worried-looking Ian Kabra.

"What happened?" I slurred sleepily. I truly didn't remember.

"You passed out, but more importantly, Daniel, Nancy, and Natalie are here." He said, helping me out of bed. I didn't have time to correct Nellie's name.

My eyes darted to the clock beside the bed. "How long was I out?" I asked, fixing my hair. I heard an impatient knock on the door.

"A few hours," He told me and I rushed to go get the door. I opened the door and smiled.

"Amy!" Nellie and Dan cried, tackling me in a hug.

After I untangled myself from their arms, I turned and saw Natalie in the doorway. I held out my arms.

"C'mon Natalie," I said and she hugged me quickly. Once our little reunion scene was completed, I looked at all three of them. "I have a surprise for you guys." Nellie and Dan looked at each other. "Come on out, Ian." I called.

Ian walked out of the room that I had recently been passed out in. He came and stood next to me, a little too close for my liking. Nellie and Dan's mouths dropped open and their eyes bulged. If this was their reaction, I couldn't wait to see how excited Natalie was going to be! I averted my eyes to Natalie. She was staring at him with no hint of emotion at all. Then slowly, the famous Kabra smirk appeared on her face. I looked up at Ian's face and saw the exact same expression.

"The heir has reached its throne." They said, simultaneously.

"Creepy," Dan said in a sing-song voice.

However, his opinion was soon forgotten as the Kabra siblings leapt into action. They both pulled out matching dart guns and pointed them in our direction. I noticed that Ian's sight was locked on me.

"Why, it's a shame that this little reunion has to end." Ian purred. I was so shocked, I couldn't move.

"But-" Dan began.

Natalie shut him up. "No talking!" She hissed. All I could process was, _'What the heck happened?' _

"Thanks _so _much for the clue, love." Ian smiled and my jaw hit the floor. Dan shot an angry look at me.

"W-What are you talking about?" I stuttered.

"The tea had an Ekat concoction in it. It— how would you say— forced you to speak your mind. I appreciate the compliments by the way," He said with a wink.

"You, you-" I was so angry I couldn't even find the right words. "_How can you live with yourself?" _I shouted, unable to contain my anger. He smirked, which made me even more furious.

"Oh, and Amy?" Ian said.

"_What?"_ I snarled, clenching and unclenching my hands.

He simply held out his hand to Natalie, who placed a piece of paper in his waiting hand. Wait, it wasn't just _any _piece of paper…it was the letter! He held his 'will' up and ripped it in two, basically destroy the words on the page, not only physically, but emotionally too.

"Ta-ta!" Natalie said and they backed out the door with their newly gained knowledge. The door slammed shut, and their footsteps echoed throughout the hallway.

I stared at the closed door. Nellie placed her hand on my shoulder. I knew that she was expecting me to cry or break down. It would be like Korea all over again. I blinked back the tears and raised my head. There was something new in my heart. I wasn't feeling sad or depressed or anything in that category. This was different.

"It's ok, Amy. You-"

"I'm not upset!" I snapped then rubbed my temples. Nellie took her hand off my shoulder. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you." I apologized.

"What do we do now?" Dan spoke up, and I suddenly realized what the overwhelming feeling inside me was.

Revenge.

It wasn't just a hunger for revenge.

I was _starving_ for it.

"I know what we have to do," I announced.

"What are we going to do to them? Oh! I know! We can track them down and hurt them with shurikens!" Dan said, bouncing up and down.

"I don't think that that's what your sister was thinking." Nellie said.

"Aw, I was hoping we could do that." Dan pouted.

"Nellie's right." I said.

"Then what do we do, your highness?" Dan asked and I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

"We have to beat them at their own game."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hi! As you saw in my disclaimer, I'm going to stay to my native tongue…German. Ha-ha! Sorry, that just really cracked me up. :D Oh, you're too funny Nataliya…too funny. **

**Er, anyways! That was another written by the fantastic Nataliya and edited by the wonderful purplephantasms! So, yea for us! *applause***

**Ok, you're probably wondering that about my dramatic change of character. I can imagine all of you right now.**

**All of the readers: Hey! I thought you were going to be all mature and boring, like you said you would!**

**Me: Well…yes and no.**

**All of the readers: We're confused.**

**Me: Yes, I see and how do you feel about that?**

**All of the readers: Confused…?**

**Me: Mhmmm…interesting…**

**All of the readers: You were saying…?**

**Me: Ah, yes! Anyways, everything I did say in the author's note/ profile is true. But I realized something. I could still achieve to be a fantastic author, but could still be myself. Look at psychoticbookgirl. She's just as good of an author as she is random. Which says a lot…so you're welcome. :) Any who! So, I'm going to be myself, but still achieve to be a brilliant author! **

**Me: So…yea for emotional speeches! **

**Random Post Office Guy: Yea…?**

**Me: I thought you left!**

**Random Post Office Guy: I thought you got hit by a pizza!**

**Me: Touché. **


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: Yada, yada, I don't own anything.**

**IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!**

**TMA's Ekat Contest!**

**What you have to do: You must write a seven hundred word or more story, containing three to five very challenging words.**

**Judged By: Top Madrigal Agent and The Girl Of The Moon!**

**Purpose: To prove if you're a true Ekat or not.**

**Other Details: Please put in your summary that your story is participating in this contest. There will be no winner. Contact Top Madrigal Agent if you wish to enter.**

**Good Luck!**

* * *

><p>"Amy, I know where the Kabras are staying!" Nellie called, and I sprinted into the room she was in.<p>

"Where?" I asked, panting. She pointed to a star on a map.

"There. Downtown to be exact; it's only a couple miles from here," She hit the print button and looked at me. "Are you sure you want to do this?" My eyes narrowed.

"Of course I do. There's no going back now," I said firmly and Nellie nodded.

"Ok, then we'll do this." I smiled and hugged her quickly.

"You're the best!" Before I could say anything else, Dan burst into the room.

"Are you ready to kick Cobra butt?" Dan asked, grinning.

"Dan, we can't let them see us. That's the whole point of the mission," I told him with my hands on my hips.

"Aw! You make things no fun!" He turned around to walk out of the room, but I spoke up.

"Well, I will do plan to leave a little surprise for Ian in the morning." I grinned at as Dan's face lit up with delight.

"What? Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me!" He pleaded, jumping up and down.

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough," I said with a wave of my hand.

"No! Please tell me!" Nellie laughed at him.

"You heard your sister, you'll find out eventually,." Nellie said.

"Fine, you guys can have all the fun. I'll just go to my room and practice ninja moves…or something." Dan trudged out of the room.

"So, what do you plan to do to him?" She asked. I held up a finger, telling her to wait a second.

"Well, I would tell you if Dan wasn't outside the door." I smiled as I heard him curse.

"This isn't Dan! It's room service!" A high pitched voice yelled and I rolled my eyes.

"Dan, I can see your shoe." Immediately, the tip of the shoe moved from my view.

"Erg… Fine," We heard his footsteps echo down the hall. Nellie looked at me.

"So…?" She leaned closer in anticipation. I took a small vial out of my pocket and held it up.

"This."

_**~time lapse…yeah~**_

"Are you ready to blow this Popsicle stand?" Dan whispered.

"Oh, yeah," I said, looking through the glass.

We were currently standing outside the penthouse window on a small patio. This is what I had _always _wanted to do at three in the morning. Well, I can't lie. I _am_ a bit excited. Nellie slowly unlocked the window and pushed it open silently. She climbed in and motioned for us to follow her. I went in first and was joined by Dan not a minute later. I looked around the room and nodded at Nellie. We went in two different directions. Dan and Nellie went to Natalie's room and I went to Ian's.

I tiptoed down the hall and snuck in his room. There he was, sprawled across the bed. I had a strong urge to pull the sheets and make him fall out of the king-sized bed, but I resisted it and walked to the bedside table. His phone lay out in the open for anyone to take. I smiled and reached out to grab it.

"Amy," I froze and slowly turned to Ian. I sighed in relief. He was still sleeping, which meant he was talking in his sleep.

That _also_ meant that he was dreaming about me.

I grinned and for some reason, I liked that he dreamt about me. I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts and grabbed the phone.

I knew it was risky. "Sweet dreams," I whispered. Ian didn't stir from his slumber.

I looked at him, triumphantly, before slipping out of the room stealthily. I had never been there. Once I met back with Nellie and Dan, I nodded at Nellie. She pointed to the left and I smiled; something that I had been doing a lot today. Dan shot us a confused look and Nellie made a gesture that meant something along the lines of 'You'll see.'

I walked down the hallway until I reached the bathroom. I took the vial out of my pocket and searched for Ian's shampoo. I knew I shouldn't have been surprised by the number of bottles, but come on! How many hair products do you need? It felt like I was surrounded by little an army of body wash warriors!

I picked up and analyzed different bottles. Most of them were for girls, so that narrowed the scope down a bit. Finally, I had it down to four bottles. Shampoo, conditioner, detangle spray, and something for shiny and glossy hair. I had no clue about the last one, but luckily, I didn't need it.

I emptied the vial's contents into Ian's shampoo and conditioner. _Now _the mission was complete. I smiled and put all the bottles back in there their original positions. I walked out and made my way back to Dan and Nellie. Nellie pointed to her watch, and I understood. It was time to go. We climbed out the window and onto the patio.

"Do you have Natalie's phone?" I asked them. Dan waved the pink, sparkly device in front of my face.

"Could it have been more…her?" He asked, looking at the phone in disgust. Then he turned to me.

"Do you have Ian's?" He asked, and I took out Ian's phone.

"It's rather plain," I observed and Dan agreed.

"Quit the chit chat and get the ropes," Nellie whispered, and I pulled the ropes out of my black backpack.

I handed them each one and we connected them to a chair, before sending them sailing over the edge. We looked at each other and jumped. I would normally be scared out of my mind right now, but the mission had made me excited.

We hit the ground with a thud and gave our ropes a little tug, returning them to our possession. Nellie was about to say something, but I covered her mouth and pulled them behind a bush. They looked at me strangely, and I pointed to the terrace where we had jumped from. Ian was right there, looking around for an unknown source. He shrugged and closed the door.

We beamed at each other and took off behind the bush. Halfway down the street, we burst into laughter and had to stop running for a minute.

"I can't wait to see Ian's face!" Nellie said, laughing.

"Me too!" I said, and we both burst into giggles.

"Ok," Dan said, clutching his sides. "You have _got _to tell me what else you did to him besides stealing his phone!" Nellie and I looked at each other.

"Let's just say that Ian might be feeling a little…_blue _tomorrow."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hey! This was another chapter wrote by moi and betaed by purplephantasms! :D I hope you liked it! I know the revenge might not be spectacular, but it satisfied me. :) Ok, you might have noticed that my Pen Name is changed…what was I saying? Oh yeah! Pen name! I changed it to Stone Moss. Odd? Yes! But for some **_**odd **_**reason, it just stuck in my brain so the Moss has been RELEASED! **

**Long live Moss! :D **

**~Nataliya**


	23. Chapter 23

I looked down at Ian's phone and sighed.

Only_ he_ would have a password for it. Well, at least that meant that something important was behind this stupid pass code.

"Are you sure you tried _Ian?"_ Dan asked for the fifth time.

"Yes! I already tried his dumb name!" I yelled at him.

"Natalie's was easy to get into…Prada," Dan grumbled, and I put my head in my hands.

"Have you tried your name?" Dan asked, looking over my shoulder.

"No, it wouldn't be that anyway. See?" I typed my name in, and it was denied.

"What about 'I love Amy?'" I was ready to slap him now. I typed it in to shut him up.

"What does Ian like a lot?" I asked.

"Himself," Dan supplied.

"We are never going to get this! I give up!" I threw my hands up in the air, frustrated.

"Have you tried _Ian?" _I raised my hand to smack his head, but he darted out of the way in time.

"Hey, kiddos, did you figure it out yet?" Nellie asked said, entering the room. I sat down on the bed with a huff.

"No," I replied, glumly.

"Have you looked at Natalie's phone for anything that would give it away?" I jumped off the bed and hugged her.

"You truly are a genius!" I cried and then turned to Dan.

"On it," He said and ran out of the room. I sat back down on the bed.

"I don't know how the Kabras do it. They steal, hack, manipulate, and they don't even look fazed!" I said.

"I guess it gets easier," Nellie said and I nodded. Dan burst back into the room with Natalie's pink, sparkly phone in his hand.

"Let's take a look. ," He plopped down on the bed next to me.

"How about 'Calendar'?" I pointed to the application.

"I don't think it will be on calendar," Nellie told me, and I just shrugged.

"It was just a guess," I said.

"Alright, how 'bout notes and memos?" Dan hit the button. "Now let's go to P's…" He was talking to himself while he scrolled down the page. "Passwords!" He cried triumphantly and held up the phone.

"No way, open it up!" My eyes were glued to the small screen. Dan grumbled something and threw the phone at a pillow.

"Ian's password wasn't there," Dan mumbled.

"Did you find any leads or clues on it?" Nellie asked and we both shook our heads.

"We thought that Ian's phone will hold all the information and so far, it looks like our theory is correct," I said and then I felt the bed vibrate.

"Uh, what's vibrating?" Dan asked, looking around.

"Ian's phone!" I pounced on it and looked at the number. "It's an unknown number; should I answer it?" I looked at them.

"Don't," I trusted Dan's instinct. Well…sometimes. I hit the ignore button and threw it back on the bed.

"We're no Lucians. We can't crack into things," I said dejectedly.

"You're right. We can't beat the Cobras at their own game. They've had training for years, and what have we had?" He looked at me.

"Nothing," We said simultaneously.

Dan slumped onto the bed, and I followed suit. This was pointless. Everything was pointless. The Kabras were faster, better, stronger, more ruthless, and not to mention, rich. And what were we? None of those things, trust me.

"C'mon, kiddos," Nellie said. "You've made it this far. Don't quit now. How do you think Grace would feel?"

_How do you think Grace would feel?_

"You're right. We have to keep going, ." I said, and tried to pull Dan off the bed. "Come on, Dan!"

"But I'm tired." He grumbled into the sheets.

"Yeah, but so is everyone else. Now get your butt off the bed. We have some clues to find!" Nellie said.

"Did you get that from—?"

Nellie cut him off. "Save it."

"The last lead we had was a code on the bone, right? Hey, that kind of rhymed," Dan mused.

"Yeah, not really. Nellie, can you get us some plane tickets to Athens? I think we have some unfinished business we have to take care of," I said, grinning.

"Sure thing!" She rushed off to find her laptop.

"What are we supposed to do _when _we get to Athens?" Dan asked.

"I think we should visit Socrates' home," I said.

"It's not another museum, is it?" I could see that he was silently praying.

"You bet it is! I bet there will be all kinds of artifacts and bits of history there!" I beamed, thinking about it already.

"Yea, woo hoo! _Another _museum! The excitement inside me is just bursting to get out! Hey, Nellie, did you hear that? We get to go to a museum!" He said sarcastically.

"Oh, shut up. Do you want to win this thing or not?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips.

"Yes! But I like fighting ninjas or getting chased better than stinky, little, libraries." I rolled my eyes.

"Really? You like getting chased by the Holts or the Kabras better than being safe and sound in a museum?" I said.

"Well, maybe not _that_, but still!" he said.

"Whatever, dweeb. Go get your stuff together. We have a plane to catch," I said, and went to go see how Nellie was doing.

"Hey, when's the flight?" I asked.

"Well, I had enough money to book one in about six hours, despite the fact that _someone _blew off four hundred bucks." She gave me a look and I shifted uncomfortably.

"Sorry about that," I apologized, looking at my shoes.

"It's okay, kiddo. You were deeply in love with him, if I remember the text correctly." She grinned as I turned red.

"You know that was Ian who sent that!" I said, defending myself.

"I know. I'm just messing with you," she said. "Now, you better go pack before Dan destroys some of your clothes." Well…you never know with Dan.

I gave her a smile and slipped out of the room. As I was walking back to my room, I spotted a book on the coffee table. I picked it up and examined the front. I had never heard of The Red Pyramid. Hm, I _did _have six hours to burn. I spread out on the couch and started to read.

I heard the front door open, but I didn't even glance up from the book. That was my first mistake.

"Something tells me that you might not be making that flight to Athens." My head shot up. Ian Kabra was standing in front of me, blue hair and all.

I couldn't help it. I burst out laughing. That was my second mistake.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Hey! Apologies for the super long wait. I just got caught up with school and sports and all that <strong>_**great **_**stuff. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Special thank to Purplephantasms! Sorry if I irked you about the commas. I had written this quite a bit of time ago and I hadn't bothered to fix it. It's completely my fault for your frustration. **

**Anyways, I hope you liked it! Don't forget to review as well! :) **

**~Nataliya**


	24. Chapter 24

I laughed, despite the position I was in. Two words: big mistake. Ian pulled out his gun and strode towards me.

"I'm assuming you did this," he gestured to the mess that was his hair. He didn't sound mad or angry in any sort of way. He just sounded…knowing. And that scared me. My feet were rooted in place, and my mouth wouldn't move. I nodded my head.

"I see," he walked around me like a predator taunting its prey.

"What are you doing h-here?" I asked, and he barked a laugh.

"Amy, who are talking to?" Nellie called. I wasn't sure how to respond.

Ian walked behind me and put the cold tip of the dart gun to my back, mocking me. If I gave away his position, he would shoot me. The scent of clove was overwhelming.

"It's the television!" I lied to her.

"Good," Ian whispered in my ear. "Now tell her that you're getting something to eat."

"I d-don't think she'll t-trust me again," I whispered back.

"And why is that?" He asked, and the dart gun was pressed harder into my back.

"You should remember," I hissed, losing my stutter momentarily.

"Then I guess you won't be saying any last goodbyes," he motioned for me to leave.

"No." I crossed my arms stubbornly.

"I guess I'll need back up," he said, and I saw him press a button on his watch. Oh great, now Isabel or Natalie would come. And if I'm lucky, I'll get both!

The door opened, and I braced myself for them. But that the last thing I was expecting was a carbon copy of Ian.

Yes, the man in the doorway was Vikram Kabra.

I felt Ian stiffen in his presence. Even though I had never seen this man in my life, I knew it was him. An aura of power and confidence was basically radiating off from him. Not to mention the similarities that he and Ian shared. He caught my eye and gave me a smile. I was caught off balance by that.

"So you're the famous Amy Cahill," Vikram said, and I couldn't move my mouth to speak…again. "Why don't we speak outside?" He gestured to Ian, who nodded.

I was led out of the hotel by at gun point. Nobody noticed though, not that I was surprised. Ian concealed the gun under his coat. Why he was wearing that was anyone's guess. It was the middle of summer. The only looks we got were because of Ian's hair.

"How do you I get this stuff out of my hair?" Ian grumbled, annoyed by the stares.

"Just wait a week," I said, and the look on his face was priceless.

"A week with this mess? What did I do to deserve this?" The last part was something that I wasn't supposed to hear, but I responded anyways.

"If you can recall what you did for the past couple of months, maybe it'll give you a hint," I said.

"There is no need to be aggressive," Ian said, and I turned my head to look up at him.

"Don't tell me what to do," I growled, and an infuriating smirk grew on his face. The dart gun was pushed harder into my back.

"Is that so?" He mocked, and I turned my head away from him.

"Come on, Ian. Pick up your pace," Vikram commanded.

"Yes, father," he sped up, pushing me along with him.

Once we were out of the hotel, we filed into a rather nice-looking limousine. I made sure to sit next to neither of the male Kabras.

"Amy, why don't you tell me a little about yourself? The car ride might be a bit long," Vikram said.

"A-Alright, I d-don't like it when people kidnap me. I don't like the names Vikram, Ian, Natalie, or Isabel. Also, British accents a-annoy me. Oh, and I like to read," I added at the end. Vikram's obviously fake smile faded a bit.

"I see," Vikram mused.

"Look, it would be b-better for both of us if you let m-me go," I said.

"What makes you think so?" Vikram asked.

"I don't know the clue or any leads that you don't know. G-Go capture the Holts or s-something," I said, hoping he couldn't tell I was lying.

"Really? It's a pity that you'll be punished for your lies. I rather liked this one," Vikram said. "Do you think she should be punished, Ian?" Ian flinched as his father addressed him.

I glared at Ian, waiting for an answer.

"Of course, father. What method will you be using?"

_Jerk…_

"Hm, I'm not sure. I think your mother will be able to answer that," Vikram replied.

"Uh, I'm right here?" I was proud for not stuttering.

"Yes, I've noticed," Vikram said, and I swear his nose pointed a little bit upwards. "Since the prisoner won't cooperate, you know what to do, Ian." Vikram looked pointedly at his briefcase.

"Yes, father."

Ian pulled a rag out of the briefcase and I recognized it. Chloroform. Oh, joy, I would be unconscious once again. He walked over to me, stooping because of the low ceiling. He stood over me and I didn't budge. Ian looked surprised that I wasn't putting up a fight. He placed one hand on the back of my head and put the rag under my nose. I held my breath as long as possible before I felt myself slip. I took a deep breath and kicked Ian in his soft spot.

I saw him crumple onto the floor and I smiled before I fell into unconsciousness.

**~ "Never mind, I'll find someone like you." ~ **

I woke up with an annoying headache. Before I opened my eyes, I knew where I was. Cold, metal floor. A draft. Frequent sounds of voices or traveling rodents.

I was in a cell. Again.

It was all too familiar. I had been locked up to many times. A fifteen-year old shouldn't have many prison experiences. I finally opened my eyes to see nothing. It was dark, so it must be night. Well, unless this place had no windows. A frigid gust of wind blew through the cell. Where exactly was I? It was supposed to be in the middle of summer. I shivered uncontrollably and huddled against the wall.

Like that helped.

All of a sudden, lights illuminated the room. I felt something soft hit me and I toppled over from my crouched position. I looked at the blanket and pillow in my hands. I glanced up at the gracious giver, but only saw a pair of retreating Armani loafers and nice slacks. One thing was for sure.

That wasn't Vikram.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: OH! Hello! It's been quite some time, hasn't it? :) Well, I hope you enjoyed. This is for The Girl of the Moon, who has been pestering me all day. :D You're welcome. <strong>

**Enough said. **

**Anyways, go review on one of my one-shots! I'd love to know what you think of them!**

**~Nataliya**


	25. Chapter 25

A blinding pain woke me up.

Once it passed, I took note of my surroundings. Then I closed my eyes again. My teeth were chattering and I was curled into a ball on a cold floor. My stomach ached and my throat was parched. Where was I? I tried to open my eyes again, but was only rewarded by a dull pain in the back of my head. How many times had I woken up like this? Seven times? Eight, maybe? Let me tell you, you never get used to it. I ran my hand over my arm and felt a jagged scar on my upper arm. What had happened there? I don't think that was there before. A voice jolted me out of my reverie.

"C'mon," the rough voice slurred. I definitely didn't recognize it. "Isabel wishes to see you."

Oh, yeah. I've been captured by Isabel… again. I raised my head to see the source of the voice, but he was already gone. I sat up and winced. A cold draft blew through the cell and I hugged the blanket closer to me. Maybe if I didn't move…

"Now!" The voice yelled, and I jumped to my feet.

I draped the blanket over my shoulders and the cell door opened. I took a step out and glanced at all the empty cells that were collecting dust. I was the only one here. Well, aren't they nice? Giving me company and all… I walked down the only hallway until I got to a dead end. I had nowhere to go. This place wasn't well lit. I could barely see six feet in front of me. I didn't know what to do.

"Um, hello?" My voice was scratchy and unused.

"You know, talking to yourself won't help your mental state," a snippy voice said. I rolled my eyes.

"Thanks for the advice, Natalie." Natalie Kabra stepped out of the shadows with a gun pointed at me. "Okay, shoot m-me. What will that do for you?" I asked.

"It will shut that annoying mouth of yours," she retorted.

"Good one, now where's Dan?" I asked.

"Who said we had Daniel?" She challenged. Relief flowed through me.

"You know what? Shoot me. At least it will save me the pain of listening to you," I said, and her eyes narrowed.

"Ian ordered me not to shoot you," she said.

"Oh, h-how nice of him! Remind me to bake him a cake when I get out of here alive," I said. "Chocolate or vanilla?"

"Actually, I'm more of a red velvet guy." A new figured entered the scene. Ian Kabra stood next to his cold-blooded sister. I said the first thing that came to my mind.

"You're h-hair is back to normal," I noticed. It wasn't the shade of blue that I had made it. Now it was back to its regular ebony shade.

"Yes, thank you for that, by the way," he said.

"You deserved it," I said, clenching my fists.

"I did no such thing."

We glared at each other. I was so sick of him!

"Look, would you please just turn around so I don't h-have to look at you?" I asked, not joking.

"No, I think you like to look at me. I'm so gorgeous, you can't help but stare." I rolled my eyes at his arrogance.

"Yeah, that's likely, Kabra."

"Yes, it _is _likely, Cahill."

"You're a Cahill too."

"I see you still have that blanket." He switched the topics so abruptly that I was caught off guard.

"Uh, y-yeah," I said, playing with the tip of the quilt.

"You're welcome for that, by the way," he said. So, he was the one who had given it to me. I opened my mouth to respond, but a shrill voice cut me off.

"Ian! Natalie! Bring her this instant! What on earth is taking you so long?" Isabel's voice pierced through the air. I looked around for her, but only saw her two devious children.

"Yes, mother," they chorused.

I was so confused. It must be the lack of food. Right on cue, my stomach growled. Natalie looked at my stomach weirdly. She glanced at Ian and they both shrugged.

"Maybe you should see a doctor about that, love," he advised.

I ignored the nickname. "Whatever, how l-long have I been here?" I asked.

"A few days," Natalie answered, and I nodded.

My stomach growled again and another glance was exchanged by the Kabras. I face palmed and dropped my blanket in the process. As I went to pick it up, I grew lightheaded and stumbled. I fell into a strong pair of arms.

"What's happening, Ian? Why isn't she feeling well? What will mother say?" Natalie's questions rang out loud to my ears. I groaned and closed my eyes.

"Quiet down, will you?" I slurred.

"Ian, look how pale she is! What if she isn't well enough to talk?"

A hand was placed on my forehead. It was warm and felt good on my face. "You're burning up," Ian concluded. "Maybe we should get a doctor. Natalie, go fetch one right now," he instructed.

"But won't mother notice? I mean, we're already late-" Even when I was half conscious, I could still tell that she was set on impressing Isabel.

"Natalie, go. We don't want her to die, now do we?" Ian's voice came out calm with a touch of worry. Die…

The word rang out loud and clear.

"You won't die, love," Ian said. I must've spoken out loud.

"That's what you think. You're n-not having your stomach devour itself this very moment," I told him. "Now, let go of me." I tried to stand up, but only swayed and Ian caught me again.

"Ah, but Amy, you look rather unstable." Even though my eyes were closed, I knew that there was that infamous Kabra smirk on his face.

"Yeah, whatever…" Then I was enveloped in darkness, but not before I heard the sound of stilettos entering a room.

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><p><strong>AN: I know, I know. I can practically here you guys already. And I have to agree with you. It took me FOREVER to update and I'm sorry. I promise the next one will be quicker! :) So, what did you guys think of this chapter?**

**Was it good?**

**Was it horrible?**

**I won't know unless you tell me! :D **

**~Nataliya**

**P.S. Thanks, Wis, for beta-ing this! I fixed those mistakes just for you! :)**


	26. Chapter 26

*clears throat*

This might not be what you wanted to see as the newest "chapter."I am putting this story on HIATUS for however long it takes me. I, uh, have a few complications with this story. Now, don't jump to conclusions! This story WILL be continued! Trust me, I wouldn't write twenty-five chapters (or how many there are now) for nothing.

It's just that I really don't know where to go with this story. Any ideas would help if you are willing! Just leave a comment and I'll take your ideas into consideration, kay? :) All right, thanks for all the support and comments you guys are leaving for me!

I'm sorry for this again. I hope I don't get _too _many chairs thrown at my head! :)

~Nataliya


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